What Dreams May Come
by IcyJadeXOXO
Summary: An unfulfilled promise. A grieving heart. A lost soul trying to find its way back to a great love. How will Elena cope with the loss of the man she was supposed to spend eternity with? Will Damon ever find his way back to her? Or will they only meet in dreams? Will the Universe ever stop throwing obstacles at them? [My version of TVD Season 6.]
1. Dreaming of You

**TITLE** : What Dreams May Come

**DISCLAIMER** : I don't own TVD or any of the _recognizable characters_. They belong to _L.J. Smith, Kevin Williamson, Julie Plec, Caroline Dries, __et al.,_and CW Network.

**SUMMARY** : An unfulfilled promise. A grieving heart. A lost soul trying to find its way back to a great love. How will Elena cope with the loss of the man she was supposed to spend eternity with? Will Damon ever find his way back to her? Or will they only meet in dreams?

**PAIRING(S)** : Mainly Damon/Elena

**RATING** : T (just to be safe.) Might change later, depending on how wild the dreams get.

**AUTHOR'S NOTES** : That gap between a season finale and the premiere of the next season always gets to me. It fills my head with theories and assumptions. I imagine scenarios, and sometimes, they even seem coherent when I write them down. I'M NOT a professional writer, I do this for fun. Also, this is self-beta'd, so pardon the grammatical errors, if any.

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"_For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come..."_ ~ **William Shakespeare**

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**CHAPTER ONE – Dreaming Of You**

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Elena smiles as Damon escorts her at the outdoor dance floor in the middle of the garden in Mystic Falls Founder's Hall. She looks lovely in her royal blue satin dress, as she walks hand in hand with Damon, who looks handsome wearing his black suit and his signature smirk.

The music starts playing, they step front and face each other, then takes a bow, and then takes one step back. They raise their right hands up, their palms close to each other, but not touching, then take steps full circle, turning to the right.

"Are you happy?" Damon asked her.

"I'm happy, so long as I'm with you," Elena replied.

Then, they raise their left palms up, as they take steps full circle, turning to the left this time.

"Tell me something, when I stepped in as the poor substitute for my then-temporarily insane brother, did you ever imagined that someday, we'd get here?" he asked again.

Elena looked at him with confusion, as they raised both palms up, turning full circle to the right.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

She looked around them, and their surroundings began to change. The music was replaced with the song, "At Last" by Etta James, and instead of the garden, they were now in the middle of the dance floor inside a grand ballroom. And she's now wearing a long, white dress made of silk and lace, with white gardenias crowning her flowing brown hair. He looked beaming with happiness in his black formal tuxedo.

"That one day, you'd be my wife." Damon replied.

Elena gave him her happiest smile. "Like I told you before, Damon...all I see is a future with you."

"I love you, Elena Salvatore." Damon declared, as he leaned in for a kiss.

"And I love you, Damon Salvatore!" she answered, as she closed her eyes and met him halfway.

She felt all the passion and love between them behind that kiss. A kiss that would have left mere mortals breathless. Moments later, tears started flowing down her face. She opened her eyes when Damon pulled away from their kiss.

They were back in the middle of the woods, right outside the Mystic Falls Cemetery. Damon placed both his hands to cup her face, his thumbs gently wiping her tears away.

"I'm so sorry, Elena." His voice broke as he made his apology. "If love were enough, I'd be with you right now."

"No! Damon! Don't say it!" she begged tearfully.

"I wasn't lying when I told you that I saw my future with you the moment I laid my eyes on you," he said, almost choking on the words.

"No, Damon, please! Not yet! Just...we need more time!" she pleaded.

"God, I would give up everything just to be with you again!" he told her.

"It's not fair! Damon, you promised me! Remember? You gave me your word that you'd never leave me again!" She was sobbing and screaming.

Damon pulled her into his arms and held her tight. "I know. I'm sorry, Baby! Believe me, I'd stay if I could."

"I don't know if I can live my life again, without you with me." she said, with more tears flowing freely from her eyes.

"Sure, you can. You're my strong Warrior Princess, remember?" He kissed her on the crown of her hair. He pulled away and stepped back slowly.

"No, please, don't go!" she begged.

"Goodbye, Baby." he whispered so softly, she wouldn't have heard it if not for her vampire hearing.

"No! Please don't leave me!" she sobbed, as her knees gave out and slowly slid to the ground. "Come back to me!" she said, over and over, as if repeating the words would will him to come back.

Elena bolts up from her bed, her face covered with tears, and her body soaking with sweat. She was back in her new bedroom, back in her dorm at Whitmore College. _Another dream. _ She's been plagued with a lot of them since that night she lost Damon. She laid down again, leaning towards her left, facing the side of the bed where Damon would have been, if he was there.

"I miss you," she whispered in the dark. "So much...it hurts."

She curled into a fetal position, and did what she had been doing for the past several weeks. Like many other nights, she cried and cried until sleep took her again.

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**~END OF CHAPTER ONE~**

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**A/N 2 :**

-I know...a memory and a fantasy, mashed into one dream that turned into a nightmare. What a sad way to start a story.

-FYI, most of the future chapters will be Elena's dreams. Some of them would be memories, most would be fantasies. This is how Elena would try to cope with Damon's death. But don't worry, because Damon won't stay as a dream forever.

-Apologies if the chapter seems short. The length of future chapters may vary. Some would be short, others would be long.

-Song Suggestion : **Dreaming Of You** by **_Selena_**

-Hope you liked what I've written so far, and that I've kept you intrigued enough to stick around for the next chapter. Reviews are not mandatory, but it is encouraged. Your comments serve as food for the muses. I welcome your opinions, but easy on the flames, please.


	2. These Dreams Go On

**A/N** : Many thanks to all who read the first chapter, and for those of you who reviewed, I send you virtual hugs. Seriously though, it warms my heart that you took the time and spared a glance at my fic.

**RATING** : Raised to an 'M' from the previous 'T'. It gets slightly smutty towards the end of the chapter. (I hope that's not a problem.)

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**CHAPTER TWO – These Dreams Go On**

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Elena jumped him the moment he walked into the front door of the boarding house. Her legs wrapped around his torso, her lips immediately demanding access to his entire mouth. The kiss continued for a while, an erotic mess of tongues and blunt teeth. Damon kicked the door shut, and vamp-sped them into the parlor.

He reluctantly pulled their faces a few inches apart. "Why, Miss Elena Marie Gilbert, I do believe you've missed me," her man said with a sexy drawl and an even sexier smirk.

"No fair! I don't know your middle name," she pouted. "And yes, I really did miss you. Where have you been all day?" she questioned him.

"I was busy compelling the Commonwealth Attorney's Office not to press arson charges on Little Gilbert. Then, I had a meaningful 'chat' with Child and Family Services about how your brother is the poster child of mental stability, and given the proper guidance by yours truly, can turn out to be an upstanding citizen of Mystic Falls, one who doesn't allegedly set his house on fire and fake his own death," he explained.

"Why didn't you tell me? I would have gone with you," she asked him, as she slid her legs off of Damon's torso.

"It was all textbook compulsion anyway. I had it covered," he replied, shrugging it off.

"Damon-" she tried to argue, but Damon pressed his index finger to her lips.

"Elena, you just shoved your last chance at being a normal, functionally dysfunctional human being down the throat of the bitch who ruined your life and stole your happiness. I figured that earns you the right to sleep in," he told her.

"I regret nothing," she said, as she kissed his finger. She then gently grabbed his face with both hands, then kissed him fully on the lips.

"Do...you...hear...that?" he asked, in between kisses.

Elena pulled away slightly. "I don't hear anything," she answered.

"Exactly. Silence. I think we're alone now," he said, doing that thing with his eyes.

"Oh, yeah...Jeremy said he was taking Bonnie to the airport," she told him.

"Wait, Judgy's leaving Mystic Falls?" he asked.

"Just for the summer. She's spending some time with Abby," she clarified.

"This is NOT good." Damon said.

"Oh, come on, Damon. She's been busy harnessing extremely dark magic, calcifying the first immortal witch, and bringing my little brother back from the dead. I think that earns her the right to take the summer off," she reminded him.

"I meant for me. Not good for ME. Without Bon-Bon to keep Little Gilbert occupied, this means plenty of cold showers for poor Damon," he explained.

"Little Damon's not gonna be too happy about that," she teased.

"LITTLE?" Damon glowered his eyes at her, as he began to tickle her.

"Uhm, Junior? Damon's third leg?" she said playfully.

"Much better," he smugly replied.

"So, how about we take advantage of the the time while Jeremy's still out? I'll let you have your way with me, if you promise to return the favor," her tone, flirtatious and seductive.

"Sexy AND smart. This is why I love you," he declared, as he pulled her body down with him into the sofa.

"And I love you, Damon-" she paused.

"What?" he asked worriedly.

"You still haven't told me your middle name." she chuckled.

"Don't laugh. It's Francesco." Damon watched as her face lit up. "I said don't laugh," he jokingly warned her.

Elena tried to contain her mirth. "I'm not laughing! I think it's...cute."

"Cute? Bunnies and newborn babies are cute. My middle name is SEXY," he said, as he kissed the tip of her pretty nose.

"Sexy, yeah, that's the word I was thinking," she deadpanned.

"Speaking of bunnies, you'll never guess what's Stefan's middle name is," he said jestingly.

She wrinkled her forehead. "So tell me."

"What...you're not even gonna try to guess?" he asked.

"You already said I'll never guess. So...TELL ME," she pressed.

"It's Antonio," he revealed.

"You're right. Francesco sounds a lot sexier," she said, followed by an awkward silence. "Have you heard from him?" she asked.

Damon sighed. Nothing ruins the mood faster than the mere mention of his little brother's name. "No. I've left messages, but no answer."

"You think he hates us?" she asked again, as she snuggled deeper into his chest.

"Hate is a strong word, Baby. Maybe, just a bit angry." He wrapped his arms tighter around her, and kissed the top of her head.

"You think he'll forgive us?" she pressed, her voice barely a whisper.

"I think he already did. He just needs some time to process through the pain. I had a little chat with him, before he left," he told her.

"What did he say?" she asked, surprised that she was only hearing about this now.

"That he's not happy that you chose me, but he's not NOT happy for me either. Can you believe that he's the writer in the family?" He tried to hide his emotions through humor. Finally, he gave up. "I should have stopped him, Elena. I should have done or said something to make him stay. Instead, I just said my regular 'Thanks, brother' and watch him walk off to his not-so-merry way. How pedestrian was that?" He shook his head in frustration.

"Damon, I don't think that there was anything we could've said or done that would've made him stay," she consoled him.

"I could've told him that you still need him," he said. "That's how he got me to stay when I told him I was leaving town."

Elena pulled away from his embrace, and looked at him in the eye. "What do you mean? When were you leaving town?" There was slight anger and confusion in her voice.

Damon smacked his palm on his forehead. He couldn't believe that he'd let that slip. "Stefan and I, we had a deal during the whole 'Operation: Original Hybrid Dessication' project. Whichever brother you didn't choose gets to hightail it outta town," he revealed. And just like that, Elena pulled away completely from his arms, and stood from the sofa.

"You...you were going to leave me?" she whispered, tears slowly forming in her eyes.

"Not until I was sure that you'll be alright-" he was interrupted by a blur of movement when Elena vamp-sped her way upstairs. He quickly followed her. "Elena-" he called, as she slammed the door, almost hitting him in the face. He opened the door and stepped inside.

"No! You don't get to make excuses!" she yelled angrily.

"Well then, how about the truth?" he yelled back. "I was trying to be the magnanimous one!" he said. "You chose him, remember?"

"Because you made a promise that wouldn't leave me!" She snapped back. "Because I thought that even if I chose Stefan, that I wouldn't lose you!"

"So, what...you expected me to continue being your lapdog?" Damon scoffed at her confession.

"I expected you to love me enough wait until I've work through my own fears!" she snapped.

"I have! After all this time, I'm still here!" He yelled back.

"I know! Now, it's my turn! Let me love you," she told him.

"Excuse me?" he asked, not believing what he had just heard.

"Dammit, you're infuriating!" She growled.

"Damon Salvatore. We've met," he said with a smirk.

"You don't get to decide for us! I don't care if Stefan or the President, or the Pope decrees it, you don't get to leave me! Got it?" Elena demanded.

"Damn, you look hot when you're furious," he answered playfully.

"I'm not kidding, Damon!" Elena was getting more frustrated.

"You see me laughing?" He asked friskily. Next thing he knew, he felt the doorknob embedded on his back, trying to rearrange his spine.

"You drive me insane!" She growled, before smashing her lips into his. She then proceeded to rip the buttons off his shirt, her hands exploring his naked chest.

"Okay...new rule. No talking about our respective little brothers' love lives, or lack thereof, while we're in our bedroom. Deal?" Damon asked her in between her rough kisses.

Elena playfully bit his lower lip with her blunt teeth. "OUR bedroom...I like the sound of that!" She smiled before planting another kiss on his lips. "Deal," she agreed.

In one swift movement, Elena felt herself being pressed against the wall. "My turn," Damon whispered in his sexy tone. He ripped her dress right down the center, and then carelessly tossed it on the floor, leaving her only in her underwear.

He lifted her up and wrapped her legs around his torso, and in a flash, they were both on the bed. He kissed her briefly on her lips, then left a trail of open-mouthed kisses down her neck, to the valley of her breasts. In a flash, he got rid of her bra.

"God, you're beautiful," he gasped, before taking one of her nipples into his mouth. He gently sucked on it, while his hand pay equal attention to her other breast.

Once he's had his fill, his kisses continued lower down her body. Elena hissed once he reached the middle of her stomach. The wound was fully healed, but still a little tender where Katherine stabbed her with a mop. Damon paid extra attention to that spot, peppering it with kisses, while his hand ripped her panties off.

Completely naked, and frustrated from his teasing, Elena flipped them over, reversing their positions. In an instant, she unfastened his belt, then his jeans quickly followed the rest of their clothes on the floor.

"God, you're beautiful," she gasped at Damon's naked body.

"Quit stealing my lines," he chuckled, as he reached for her.

"How about this, then...I love you, Damon Francesco Salvatore!" She gasped, as she slowly sank down to him until they were fully joined.

* * *

Elena opened her eyes and smiled sadly. _He's gone._ Damon's gone, and all she has left of him are a handful of memories that can't be replicated. She looked at the clock. _2AM._ She couldn't go back to sleep no matter how hard she tried. Not that it gets any easier when she closed her eyes.

_It's going to be another long night._

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**~END OF CHAPTER TWO~**

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**A/N 2 :**

-This was ran a bit longer than the first chapter. Hope you liked it. I felt we got robbed of scenes from the summer of Delena's lives, so I decided to write a flashback dream. Plus, I get to claim licencia poetica.

-Song Suggestion : **These Dreams** by _**Heart**_

-As always, let me know what you guys think. Constructive criticisms are welcome, but please, no flames.


	3. Dream Lover

**A/N** : Many thanks to those who read the previous chapters. I'm glad that you stuck around for this one. Pay strict attention, there might be a quiz at the end of this chapter. Okay, maybe not a quiz, but I'll be asking you guys a question, and hopefully I'll get an answer.

**WARNING** : This story has been raised to an M-rating due some adult content, and this chapter contains scenes of a sexual nature (FYI, just in case the chapter title wasn't enough of a hint). Proceed with caution. TRANSLATION: Not for the kiddies. Sorry, Kiddies!

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**CHAPTER THREE – Dream Lover**

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A moan escaped Elena's lips, as her eyes fluttered. She whispered his name like a prayer. It's been long overdue for him to claim her as his again. And he knew damn well how to apply the exact amount of pleasure she desired in each and every dose that she wanted. His fingers roamed across her hips, up her sides. He occasionally teased her breasts, and then return once more to his concentration.

It was her thighs that hid her pleasure well, and she begged in a sort of sweet agony, for him to touch her while he worked his magic on her body. But he did not. He left the best parts alone so she could beg in ecstasy. He waited to hear those words transform into a guttural speak of pure desire.

"Lower, Damon!"

He smirked in the near darkness. She closed her mouth and let nothing through her lips but air. A deafening silence took over, a third creature in the darkness besides them, waiting to be shooed away. It would only be a matter of time. She let her mind go blank, as he placed his hands on her thighs and really concentrated.

At first, she just stared at him, with equal parts of lust and intimidation. Then she began to relax and allowed him to just exist. He started to move, as her body sunk into the softness of the mattress, and her mind melded into the pleasures of herself.

His fingers walked slowly up her naked thighs, teasing and exploring, and her entire body shivered. Then his tongue came out to play, and quickly and unexpectedly, he had a taste of her, his first in a very long time. She was wet, her scent permeated the air. He licked again and again, taking his cues from her moaning, her words melting away into incoherent sounds.

He pulled her closer until his face was buried deeper between her thighs, and placed a lingering kiss on her bare core, before taking the full length of her slit with the flat of his tongue. He slid his tongue up and down her wet folds, spreading them apart. Her body tried to rise out of the bed, but his hands gently held her down by her thighs, moving upward towards her belly, and just touched her gently in a calming manner. He licked her again, and again, until the high of the initial touch came down, and her low cries and moans subsided to whimpers.

His hands massage the naked skin on her legs, pulling her into him as he brought them closer together. She writhed underneath him, and he kept just enough weight on her to stay in control. His masterful tongue dipped deeper into her core, lapping at her wetness and pulling at her pleasure. With each small moan and whimper, he changed the sweeps of his tongue to match her, to give her a tempo that she could control just with her voice. And then, just when she became used to his ministrations, to the licking of his tongue and the gentle kisses of his lips on her core, he lapped at her clit.

A scream sought to escape into the darkness, desperately caught by her hands that flew quickly to her mouth. He licked again and again, unceasing, and the waves of her first orgasm rippled through her so strongly, her thighs shook against his palms. He allowed her the full enjoyment of her release, dipping back into her as she came down. Then, just when the last ripple faded, his tongue was there again to taste the hardened bead of pleasure. Again she came, weaker this time, and yet her moans were louder. She pressed her fist firmly to her mouth, as he took his own enjoyment from being so deep in the center of her being.

There were words mixed with other sounds, but she could not distinguish one from another as he continued. The pleasure that she felt was all-consuming. He was there, with his tongue deep inside of her, his mouth working her, his lips grazing her skin. The room became thick with sounds, with smells, with the rippling shadows of her moving body. His fingers roamed her naked skin once more, this time never ceasing, and his tongue dove in again and again to find more of her flavor inside her wet folds.

Time stopped, as he sought to bring everything that he could out of her. He licked the lengths of her folds, tasting her in completeness. He brought the lips of her pussy between his lips and revered them, suckling gently and then releasing. His hands never left the range of her legs and sides, while his mouth did its desire. She shuddered, as he extracted such sublime pleasure from her and taste the joy in between her legs.

After her symphony of orgasms faded and she came down from the high, that silence crept back in as though it had never left. She smiled, her eyes still glazed, and she stared down at him, committing every erotic detail into memory. He placed soft kisses on her lower belly, licking his way up to her navel, and then rested his head on her stomach. Her nails massaged his scalp, ruffling his hair.

"Hmmm...Best. Pillow. Ever," Damon purred lazily.

"Come here," she whispered.

"Yes, Ma'am," he replied.

He slowly ascended upwards, leaving a trail of open-mouthed kisses from her belly, to her breasts, up to her neck. As his hot breath rolled over her naked flesh, she let out moans of ecstasy and pleasure, her velvety voice invigorating his own need for stimulation. A jolt of electricity rocked her body, when their mouths finally meet.

He leaned forward, pushing her down onto the bed, and kissed her deeply on the lips, as she tasted traces of herself from his mouth. Their tongues fought for a battle of dominance, while both enjoying the feel of each others' skin, as their hands roamed all over their bodies.

"You are my life, Elena," he gasped in between kisses.

These familiar words, a profession of love and loyalty, drove a wave of warmth through Elena and caused her to grasp at the bedding above her head, while at the same time, he finally thrusts his hardened erection inside of her. The shock of it drives a gasp from her mouth, and she tensed at the pleasure they were both feeling. He pulls out, only to slam it back in again and again none-too-gently. He filled her up so much that it was almost painful. Almost.

He pushed and pull again and again. They knew each others' rhythm very well, and settled into a give and take kind of lovemaking, somewhere between furious and hard and gentle and serene. They gazed upon each others' eyes, each one knowing what the other was thinking.

Her inner walls grabbed onto him, their lovemaking intensified like at no other time. She felt great ecstasy while she had him trapped inside of her. The feeling was pure bliss. She had waited for so long to feel him inside of her again, and she was definitely not disappointed. His rhythm does not falter as removes his hands from her entangled hair to grasp fiercely onto her hands above her head. She wrapped her legs around his torso, her heels pressed against his back, urging him on.

Like a man on a mission, he pounded into her with every ounce of strength he had, in desperate search of that elusive unicorn that only he could ever find. Multiple unicorns in one night...Damon sure did love to spoil her.

As he brought her closer and closer to her climax, there was no question in her mind. She was his, and his alone. She belonged only to him. He had marked her as such with all of his kisses and bites. His soul calls to hers, and hers to his. She would more than gladly forsake the rest of her life for nothing less than being entirely his.

He pushed harder inside of her before none-too-gently pulling out. He jerked his hips in electrical bursts as she rode the crest of her orgasm. This was the orgasm he was searching for. A staccato burst of whispering "Oh, Gods!" filled the room. They both had lost control and surrendered their bodies to one another, till they didn't know where she ended, and Damon began. Both loving the other one loudly and uncontrollably, without a care on who might be listening in. Their actions, more frantic and erratic, as he continued to love her without restraint, higher and faster, until they both reached sweet release.

She peppered him with kisses anywhere she could reach...his shoulders, his neck, his chin, his jaw, all leading up to his lips.

"I love you, Damon," she whispered breathlessly. "No one else, nothing else, only you."

"I will make it back to you. I promise." Damon rested his forehead on hers. "I promise you."

* * *

That morning, Elena woke up in her bed, with tears dried on her face. Her body, coated with sweat. Her sheets, soaked with her pleasure. And no Damon in sight.

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**~END OF CHAPTER THREE~**

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**A/N 2** :

-Damn! I'd probably never write anything this smutty ever again, so savor it!

-Just so we're clear, unicorn = G-spot.

-QUESTION : I'm torn. Part of me wants to give Elena more dreams, while another part of me would like to get on with the plot. Should I post more dream chapters, or should I end this dream arc already and just proceed with the rest of the story? You can leave your answer on the review section, or you can just PM me.

-Song Suggestions : Lay, Lady, Lay by Bob Dylan ; Your Touch/Tighten Up/I'll Be Your Man by The Black Keys

-As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. Thank you!


	4. Can't Stand Me Now

**A/N** : Thanks to all of you who read the previous chapter, and sent me their answers regarding the question at the end of chapter 3. One reader PM'ed me to point out that there are already a few fics out there that deals with the Delena dreams and fantasies. I'm sure they wrote it better too. So, on with the rest of the story then.

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**CHAPTER FOUR – Can't Stand Me Now**

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Elena was looking forward to a nice and peaceful Saturday morning alone. One of the perks of having compelled herself a new solo dorm suite in one of the quiet floors of the college residence hall...she doesn't have to deal with the hassles of having a pesky roommate. She sat by her window, with her tablet on her lap, lazily sipping a mug of warm AB negative, and began to check her emails.

She scanned through her inbox, read the important ones and deleted the spam. She sighed when she saw that Jeremy hasn't replied to any of her emails yet. She sent him another one. The usual "Hi," and "How are you doing?", only because she doesn't know what else to say. She was worried about him, and yet she's glad that she doesn't have to deal with his grief and her own at the same time. And as worried as she was about Jeremy, she knew that he was probably safer now than he's ever been in years while living in a magic-free Mystic Falls, than when he lived the past few years surrounded by supernaturals.

She was about to log out of her account, when she noticed an email from the Whitmore College Bursar's Office. She completely forgot that the tuition payments were coming up. The truth was, she has been putting it off until the last minute, mostly because she was still not sure if she's going to continue her studies at the college. She opened the email, and was surprised at the content.

"Payment received?" Elena was confused. She went through the short list of suspects in her head, and began to dial her phone.

"Hello, stranger," the casual greeting from the other end of the line.

"Hello, stranger-than-me," she greeted in return.

"Everything okay?"he asked after an awkward pause.

"I'm fine, Alaric. You shouldn't worry so much," she told her guardian.

"What? You're worried I'll get wrinkles?" he chuckled.

"I'm alright, Ric, really. Save those worry lines for my brother," she replied. "Speaking of Jeremy, have you heard from him?" she asked.

"Nope. I keep leaving him messages, but no answer," Ric informed her. "This is stupid. I should just go over there and have a talk with him personally. I'm a Enhanced Original. This magic-free hoodoo crap shouldn't affect me that much."

"No, Ric!" Elena exclaimed. She couldn't let him risk it. Not after everything and everyone she's lost. Not after all the sacrifices that Damon and Bonnie had made. "We've been through this," she said exasperatedly. Spirit magic made you an Enhanced Original. With the Other Side being gone, you're not as protected as you were, not anymore," she explained again. "We'll give him some more time. I emailed him again, hopefully he'll answer this one. Just don't do anything we might regret later," she pleaded. She's sure that Damon won't be able to forgive her if she lets his best friend die again on her watch.

"Not like I can do much at the moment," he scoffed. "It's still daytime."

_Oh._ Another thing that slipped her mind. "I'm so sorry, Ric," she apologized. "I've been trying to find us a witch that can make you a daylight ring-"

"Don't worry about it Elena," Ric interrupted her. "After the Liv and Luke fiasco, I can't say I blame you for not trusting another witch. I'm just frustrated that I can't do more for you and Jeremy, that's all," he sighed.

"Is that why you paid for my college tuition?" Elena smiled.

"What? I didn't do that," he denied. "See how much I suck as a guardian? I can't even keep track simple things, like school finances."

"Wait, you mean it wasn't you? Huh..." Elena though of the other usual suspect when she heard noises outside her room. "I gotta go now, Alaric. I hear someone at the door," she told him.

"Alright, I'll let you go. My classes are between 7 through 10pm tonight, so call me if wanna grab a bite to eat later, okay?" he asked.

"Okay, I'll let you know later. Bye, Ric," she said before she hung up the phone.

* * *

Caroline paced the halls, working up the courage to face her friend. It had been a while since they've talked, even longer since they've seen each other last. As a matter of fact, the last time she had seen Elena was when she had moved out of their dorm room. She sighed, as she remembered their last conversation vividly. Finally, after a long pause, she raised her hand to knock at her friend's door.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," said a male voice from behind him.

"Excuse me," Caroline said, as she faced the man who stopped her. She recognized him as one of the Pre-Med upperclassman in campus.

"I wouldn't go in there just yet," the guy replied. "Judging from all the noises I've heard from last night, she might have a boy in there with her. Like the night before last. And the night before that..." he let his voice trail off.

"No, you must be mistaken," Caroline contradicted him. "My friend doesn't do random hook-ups," she shook her head.

"Darlin', this is normally a quiet floor, and these walls are paper-thin. And based on personal experience, those were definitely sex noises." the boy replied with a wink, as he leaned his shoulder by the doorway.

Caroline was about to tell him off, when the door opened all of a sudden, as Elena stepped outside. Based from the look on her face, she heard their conversation, and was not too happy, to say the least.

The boy held out his hand to Elena. "I'm Liam-"

"Not interested," she cut him off. She leaned closer, and looked deeply into his eyes. "Go away."

With out a word, Liam abruptly turned around, and walked away from the girls. Satisfied that the compulsion had stuck, Elena pulled Caroline inside her room.

"What were you thinking, talking to some guy we don't know about MY life?" she asked Caroline.

"Well, hello to you too, Elena," she replied sarcastically. "Just so we're clear, he was the one doing the talking, not me," she corrected her friend, before planting herself on the sofa.

"By all means, make yourself at home," Elena said curtly.

Caroline let her eyes roam around the room. "I love what you've done to the place. Very...simplistic," she chose her words carefully.

"I have everything that I need," Elena answered.

"Do you, now?" Caroline raised an eyebrow. "So...is it true? Do you have a new guy that's keeping you happy these days?" she pried.

"Contrary to popular belief, I don't need another man to keep me happy, Caroline," Elena replied. "But if you're not convinced, feel free to search the premises, see if I'm hiding anyone."

"Okay, so...hottie-from-across-the-hall was wrong," Caroline said. "I'm just saying, nobody would blame you if you're look for companionship-"

Elena interrupted her. "I'm NOT looking, Caroline!"

"All I'm saying is, you have a thing for hot, lurker guys," Caroline implied.

"A guy who likes to stick his nose into other people's business? Not one of stellar qualities I look for in a man. No, thank you," Elena scoffed. "Besides, why would I need someone like that, when I already have you?"

"Ouch. You're angry. I get it. If it makes you feel any better to lash out at me, then go right ahead. I can take it. But I noticed that you didn't disagree with me when I said that he's hot!" Caroline wiggled her eyebrows.

"You think he's hot? Then you go date him." Elena snapped at her.

Caroline raised her hands in surrender. "Look, don't hate me, alright? We're all just worried about you. I'M worried about you. You've been pretty much keeping to yourself lately. I just wanted to make sure that you're okay," she told Elena.

_I'M NOT O-FUCKING-KAY!_ Elena wanted to scream at her friend. Instead, she took a breath. "I'm surviving the only way I can, Care," she answered calmly.

"Then just move back to our old dorm with me," Caroline told her. "Or, I can move in here," she suggested. "Please, Elena...I miss you."

Elena shook her head. "I can't, Care. I just want to be left alone. I can't be around people right now," she said.

"Around people...or around me?" Caroline asked. "Elena, please don't push me away. Don't push any of us away. We can help you. We can all help each other. You don't have to go through this alone," she begged.

"Really, Care? What do you want me to do? You want me to go out on double dates with you? To smile and pretend that I'm healing, when I'm really no better than I was months ago?" Elena asked tersely. "You want me to talk to Jeremy? And tell him what? That everything's going to be okay? That 'this too, shall pass'? That Bonnie wouldn't want to see him in this much pain?" she continued. "I don't know what to say! I don't know how to act. I don't know how I can be a comfort to anyone else, when I can't even get my own shit together! I don't know how to be HERE!" Elena was practically screaming now. "Whenever I'm around you people, I have to pretend, and I can't go around pretending that I'm okay. I can't fix other people's lives when I can't even fix my own. That would make me a hypocrite, and I usually leave the hypocritical bullshit to you."

Caroline stood there, her eyes brimming with tears. "Elena, I-"

Elena raised her palm, signaling her to stop. "How's Stefan?" she asked in an accusing tone.

Caroline opened her mouth, then closed it again, unsure of how to reply. Finally she managed to string a few words together. "Oh...you...you know," she stuttered. "Elena, I swear, we didn't plan this! We were going to tell you. We weren't going behind your back-"

Elena shushed her. "It's fine. I'm not angry. It's not like I didn't see it coming. If there's any two people I know who truly deserved each other, it's you and Stefan." she sighed. "I'm happy that you have one another. Really, I am," she said. "It's just...I can't...it's not fair!" Elena stammered. She took a breath, and wiped the tears she didn't know were falling from her eyes. "I have to go. You know the way out." With that, she turned around, grabbed her jacket, and headed out the down, leaving Caroline behind in stunned silence.

* * *

Elena slammed her hand on the steering wheel, as she replayed her conversation with Caroline inside her head.

_That could have gone better, damn it!_

She took control of her emotions, and turned on the ignition of her SUV. She proceeded to drive around aimlessly, until she remembered where she was supposed to go. She quickly turned the car around, and drove to her destination.

She reached the edge of town, and parked her car in front of a hot-rod shop. A scruffy man in his early 40's, wearing dark blue overalls and a baseball hat, immediately stepped forward to greet her.

"Welcome to Royle's Specialty Auto Detail and Restoration! Royle McCanick, at your service. How may I help you, Pretty Lady?" the man introduced himself.

"I'm just here to see a friend of mine, Stefan Salvatore. I believe he works here," Elena replied.

Royle nodded his head and smiled. He turned around and let out a sharp whistle. "Yo, Bieber! Your Selena's looking for you!" he yelled, then he tipped his hat to Elena, and walked away.

Mere moments later, Stefan appeared, wearing the same colored overalls which she guessed was their uniforms, wiping his greasy hands with a towel. He had splotches of grease on his face as well. His forehead was wrinkled, but he smiled when he saw her.

"Elena...hi. Long time no see," Stefan greeted her.

"You paid for my tuition," she snapped immediately, ignoring his greeting.

"You're welcome," he replied.

"I didn't come here to thank you," she scoffed.

"Yeah, I can see that. You wanna step inside? People are starting to stare," he told her.

Elena rolled her eyes, but did as she was told. Once inside the garage, she continued. "I don't need you to take care of me, Stefan."

"Somebody has to," he replied. "Look, Elena...you can't keep rejecting my help, just because you have this misplaced belief that Damon wouldn't want you to. On the contrary, Damon would want me to make sure that you're taken care of."

"I can take care of myself, damn it!" she answered curtly. "My parents didn't exactly leave us with nothing. I can afford to pay for my own tuition." she informed him.

Stefan ran his fingers through his hair. "Elena, ever since that night, you've been pushing me away. Hell, you've been pushing everyone away. I thought you have enough on your plate already, so I figured that paying for your tuition would give you one less thing to worry about," he explained. He paused when he got text on his phone. He closed his eyes and shook his head after reading the message.

"Is that Caroline?" she asked.

Stefan nodded. "You know, huh?" he asked.

"Yes," Elena replied. "Like I told her, I'm not angry. And it's not like you need my blessing or anything," she said.

"But it would mean so much to her if she has it anyway," Stefan informed her. "Caroline's been struggling with this. You're still her best friend, Elena. She just wants to be sure that even after everything that's happened, that she won't lose you." he explained to her.

"What does Caroline Forbes know about loss and life struggles?" Elena scoffed. "Rainbows and sunshine follow her everywhere. She's in control of her own life. She's on top of her class. She has her mom. She has you."

"You still have me too, Elena." Stefan was quick to reply.

"But I don't want YOU!" she snapped. "Oh my God, Stefan...I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it like that!" Elena apologized.

"Sure you did." Stefan said, taking out a clean handkerchief from his pocket, he proceeded to wipe her tear-stained face. "You think that a day hasn't passed by since his death that I don't wish I can bring him safely back to you?" he asked softly.

"I know, Stefan. I know," she whispered back. She raised her face, her eyes came into contact with a familiar vehicle that Stefan's been working on. "Is that...?" she couldn't continue, as the words got stuck on her throat.

"Yeah. Liz released that to me, since I was Damon's next of kin," he replied. There was an awkward silence, as they both stared at what was was left of Damon's Camaro.

This was how Stefan coped. He couldn't grieve properly, so he channeled his anger and turned it into something productive. He spent most of his days relearning everything about repairing cars. He compelled himself a job at Royle's shop, not because he needed it, but just so he had a place to work on his project. He appreciated the distraction it provided while he's fixing the Camaro's engine and replacing the damaged parts.

"It's still a work-in-progress, the damages aren't exactly limited to dents and scratches. But I'll have it reassembled to its pristine condition," Stefan declared, as if making her a promise.

Elena looked at the Camaro, and then stared back at him. "This is great, Stefan," she said with a sad smile. "I'm glad that you get to keep a part of him with you," she whispered, somewhat sorrowfully.

She turned around and was about to leave when Stefan gently grabbed her wrist and stopped her. He pulled on a white gold chain around his neck and took it off. He held it out in front of her.

"One other thing that Liz gave me," he said.

Elena's eyes widened in shock, as she stared at the object she thought was lost forever. "That's..." she managed to say before she choked back the tears.

Stefan placed the chain at the palm of her hand, with Damon's daylight ring serving as the pendant. "You deserve to have this, a lot more than I do," he confessed.

"Thank you, Stefan," she gasped. "You have no idea how much this means to me," she said.

Stefan wiped her tears and kissed her on the forehead. "I think I know, Elena."

She nodded and smiled, and then turned around and walked away slowly. He watched, as her retreating form disappeared inside her car. As she drove away, he wished her well.

* * *

**~END OF CHAPTER FOUR~**

* * *

**A/N :**

-Someone PM'ed me that I need to write longer chapters. This one is slightly longer. Hope you enjoyed.

-Also, an Elena/Alaric romance is a big no-no for me. Theirs is mostly family/friendship in my story.

-This chapter is mainly about Elena's state of mind and how she's (not) coping with Damon's death. And of course, the subject of what happened to Damon's Camaro and daylight ring needed to be addressed.

-Song Suggestion: Can't Stand Me Now by The Libertines

-Reviews are most welcome. It let's me know that I'm writing something that's worth reading. Thank you.


	5. Friend Or Foe

**A/N** : I'm sure we all have our own theories on how S6 will go, especially now that they've revealed some information about the new characters on the show. I'd like to address some of those in passing, at the same time, maybe create some new ones of my own.

* * *

**CHAPTER FIVE - Friend Or Foe**

* * *

Elena sat inside the cafe while she waited for her order. She kept fiddling with the chain around her neck, twiddling Damon's daylight ring with her fingers. An enchanted piece of jewelry once owned by the man who stole her heart and never gave it back. She felt the inscription of Damon's initial with the pad of her thumb. She didn't feel any different. She thought that since she now had a part of Damon with her, that she should feel closer to him. Only she didn't.

Finally, they called her name, signaling that her order was ready. She stepped in front of the counter, ready to pay for her food, when the checkout person at the cash register told her that it's already been paid for. When asked by whom, she was pointed to the direction of one of the booths where a familiar acquaintance sat. With a scowl on her face, she gruffly headed towards the man.

"What is it up with guys volunteering to pay for my stuff lately? Do I have 'POOR' written on my forehead?" she asked the man.

"I can't speak for the other guys, but consider this one a peace offering," Liam answered. "Please, Elena, have a seat," he invited her.

Elena reluctantly sat down. "Peace offerings mostly come with an apology," she reminded him.

"You're lucky to get a peace offering. Most girls I know only get a wink and a smile," he told her.

"Well, I'm not like most girls you know," she said, raising an eyebrow while she tapped her foot impatiently.

"Okay, fine," Liam relented. "Elena, I'm sorry for what I said to your friend earlier this morning," he apologized.

"You should be," she replied.

"But, in my defense, I was merely telling her what I've heard," he said.

"That doesn't give you the right to butt in to other people's lives, God damn it! What I do in the privacy of my own room doesn't concern you," she answered tersely.

Liam paused for a moment, and looked at her. Then, he smiled and shook his head. "Wow, who knew?"

"What?" Elena confusedly looked at him.

"I wish that you'd let this fiery side of you come out more often," he replied. "Instead of the usual bored, uninterested and stoic look you have on your face during your MCB class," he added.

"MCB?" she asked again.

"Yeah, Molecular and Cell Biology-" he replied.

"Yes, I'm very well aware of of what it meant, thank you very much," she interrupted him in a sarcastic tone. "What I meant to say is that your not in my class," she said.

"Not as a student, no. I'm Dr. Jo Hamilton's teaching assistant," he explained.

"Oh," was all Elena managed to say.

"Yes, I'd imagine that the great Grayson Gilbert would be rolling over his grave once he finds out that his only daughter is practically lifeless inside a college biology class," he sneered.

"Well, you don't have to suffer through my lifeless presence anymore," she said. "I'm dropping the class, as soon as possible. Actually, I've been thinking of switching majors for a while now," she informed him.

"You don't wanna be a doctor anymore?" he asked. "You can't just quit, Elena-"

"I've done and been a few things that would give my father reason enough to roll over his grave. Trust me, being bored at an MCB lecture is nothing," she scoffed, as she proceeded to grab her things. "How dare you! You know NOTHING about me!"

Liam grabbed her wrist gently to keep her from standing up. "I know that you have lost too many loved ones at such a very young age," he said softly. "I'm an ass, I get it. But I'm one of the very few people left who can still see the potential in you," he told her. He was met with silence, so he continued. "Elena, the people you lost, they're dead. They're gone. You got left behind, but you're still you. You're still here. You can still make a difference. Don't disregard your father's legacy by being a waste of space on this earth," he went on.

Elena snatched her hand back, quickly gathered her things and stomped out of the cafe angrily.

* * *

Elena kept walking towards the nearby park, muttering curses and expletives directed at Liam. People were looking at her strangely, but she paid them no attention. She was seething with anger, she could barely focus on where she was going. She felt her shoulder connect with something, but she ignored it and just kept walking.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, you ditz!" Elena heard a furious voice from behind her.

Then, she saw the clouds darkened, followed by the sound of lightning striking the tree that was nearest to her. One of the big branches fell, almost hitting her in the head, had she not stepped out of the way just in time. She turned around, and looked at the girl, who was still sprawled on the ground.

"You're a witch," Elena said softly.

"Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! I am so sorry!" The wide-eyed girl kept apologizing profusely.

"It's alright," Elena said, as she held out her hand to help the girl up. "I should be the one apologizing to you for knocking you to the ground."

"Yeah, but I almost took your head off...with a tree," the girl answered, brushing the dirt off of her jeans.

"My head still attached," Elena said. "I'm Elena Gilbert, by the way," she introduced herself.

"I know. We have Sociology together," the girl informed her. "My name's Lirio. Lirio Milani."

_Have I really been THAT oblivious?_ Elena asked herself, as she looked at Lirio. The girl had red hair, short and curly locks that barely reached her shoulder. And she striking big hazel eyes that made her stand out, along with her alabaster skin and pale full lips. She's not exactly what you would call 'forgettable'. And yet, it didn't register to Elena who she was.

Elena then felt the tiny veins slither around her eyes, followed my a throbbing sensation on her gums, as she smelled blood. "You're hurt," she told Lirio.

"I just scratched my elbow. No biggie," Lirio replied, before noticing the change in her appearance. "Oh, my God! You're a vampire!" she squeaked.

"Please, don't be scared," Elena said.

"Scared? I think that's freakin' awesome!" Lirio exclaimed.

Elena was slightly taken aback on how chill Lirio was about her being a vampire. She wasn't sure why, but she immediately felt a certain closeness to her.

"You hungry?" Elena asked. "Cause I could eat." She then noticed a faint look of fright in Lirio's eyes. "I meant, I have food. I didn't mean...ummm...I wasn't going to bite you," she explained.

"Oh, okay!" Lirio breathed a sigh of relief.

They walked towards the park until they found a spot under the trees. They sat on the ground and got comfortable. Elena gave her salad to Lirio, while she began to eat her burger.

"I can't believe I'm having lunch with a vampire. I didn't know that you guys can eat real food," the witch chuckled.

"You must be new," Elena replied. "Either that, or you haven't had that much experience with vampires."

"Both, actually. I'm a noob when it comes to witchcraft. I only discovered my powers a little over a year ago. As for vampire knowledge...most of what I know, I learned from either Bram Stoker, Buffy, or the Twilight novels." Lirio admitted to her.

"Wait, you don't have a coven or another witch to teach you these stuff?" Elena asked.

"Nope. I am mostly self-taught, which makes it harder to have full control of my 'gift'," Lirio answered.

"How did you find out that you're a witch?" Elena asked curiously.

"The night my dad died, I woke up from a nightmare, and I was floating a couple of feet from my bed," Lirio replied. "Did a little bit of investigating, found out that my mom was a witch."

"I'm sorry," Elena said. "I know what it's like to lose your parents, and then finding out that they kept things secret from you."

"Thanks." Lirio took a deep breath before she continued. "Anyway, I did more research about my mom's family, but they're all dead. And I couldn't exactly just join a coven. So my last resort was to collect grimoires of witches who had passed away. I buy them online, from thrift shops, garage sales, wherever I can find them. And I just kinda read and practiced magic on my own."

Elena couldn't help but feel sorry for her new friend. Bonnie had Grams to teach her about magic. She had Stefan, Caroline and Damon to help her through after transitioning as a vampire. Lirio had nobody to help her, but herself.

"Enough about me, what about you? How did you become a vampire?" Lirio asked her.

Elena vaguely told her the story of how Merideth Fell saved her life, while unaware that she will be turned into a vampire soon after. She did leave out some of the details that she thought was too personal.

"I guess I lucked out. I had friends who were there for me and help me become the vampire that I am today." Elena concluded.

"So, you have vampires as friends?" Lirio asked.

"My guardian, a couple of my friends and my boyfriend are vampires. My brother's a vampire hunter. And I have a friend who's werewolf." Elena replied.

"Hold on, you're telling me that werewolves exist in real life?" Lirio asked incredulously.

"Yep. Werewolves and vampire/werewolf hybrids. You would never wanna meet them, trust me." Elena said.

"And your brother's a vampire hunter? Here I thought my family tree was complicated," Lirio joked. "Any chance you know a witch that can help me?"

There was an awkward pause for a while, before Elena could answer. "My best friend was a witch. A very powerful one. She was the one who made my daywalking amulet, which is why I can be outside in broad daylight." She had a sad smile on her face at the recollection. "But I'm afraid she can't help you. She's dead."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Lirio said softly. "Now, I understand the look."

"What look?" Elena asked.

"That look of loss that you have. I can see the pain that lives in your eyes." Lirio answered.

"It happened months ago. I lost her the same time I lost the man I loved." Elena spoke barely a whisper. "After that, I became such a mess. You saw me earlier when I ran into you. I was practically acting like a crazy person."

"Your emotions are all over the place. It's natural after suffering such a great loss." Lirio told her.

Elena shook her head and balled her hands into fists. "No, it's not just that. I'm angry ALL the time. And during those rare times that I'm not angry, I'm always on the verge of crying. I'm so tired of feeling. Sometimes, I feel like I'm so close to turning it all off, and I don't want a repeat of what happened last time," she confessed.

"Look, Elena...I'm not going to pretend that I know what you're talking about, because I don't. I do, however, have an idea what you're going through. And I'm telling you, you can't let grief control you. You have to let yourself heal. Otherwise, all these emotions will drain you, until you have no idea who you are anymore, or what happened to the old you," the witch advised her.

Elena tried to compose herself. "Why are you helping me? You hardly know me?" she asked.

Lirio shrugged her shoulders. "It's easier to hear the truth from a stranger than to hear it from a loved one. I guess, our shared suffering is like our bonding experience," she replied.

"Thank you." Elena said with a smile.

"You're welcome. I must say, Elena Gilbert...if you are any indication, then vampires are exceeding a lot of my expectations," she chuckled.

"Don't get your hopes up. As much as I'd love to say that we're all good, there are quite a few of us who are...not so good. We are nature's anomalies, after all," Elena warned her.

"But you're a lot like me though. Except for the feeding on blood part." Lirio laughed softly. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're just another normal college student."

"Well, I guess in that aspect, we are alike." Elena nodded her head. "I mean, who doesn't want a normal college experience?"

"Wait? You're Pre-Med, right? How does that work? You know...with the whole bloodlust thing?" Lirio asked curiously.

"I can control myself...most of the time. It's hit and miss...more hits than misses, thankfully. But you're right, that issue might come up sooner or later. Which is one of the reasons why I'm planning to switch majors. Only I don't know how to do it without disappointing a few people's expectations." Elena revealed to her.

"Hey, it's YOUR life. Nobody should have the right to dictate you on how to live it. You don't have to live up to anyone else's expectations except your own." Lirio reminded her.

"You sound like a wise man I used to know. How about you? Do you know yet what you'd wanna be?" Elena asked.

"I'd like to be a social worker, either on public health or child welfare," her friend answered.

"Sounds like a noble goal. I wish I had one like that. I still would like to help people, the way my dad did. But I don't think I can be a doctor." Elena said.

"There are plenty of ways you can honor your father's legacy without being a doctor. You can be a Substance Abuse and Addictions Counselor." Lirio suggested. "You already know what it's like to live and manage with an addiction from day to day. That, and we'd practically take the same classes together," she added, excitedly clapping her hands in glee. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come off as a big, fat, creepy loser with no life who's desperate for a friend," she smiled shyly.

Elena snickered. "It's not that. It's just...it's very uncommon for a witch to willingly befriend a vampire."

"Did you miss the part that I'm a big, fat, creepy loser with no life who's desperate for a friend?" Lirio asked rhetorically.

"You know something? Come to think of it, being a counselor might not be such a bad idea." Elena agreed.

"So that's settled then? You're going to switch majors, and you're going to be an Addictions Counselor." Lirio said.

"What? You wanna shake on it?" Elena asked, as she offered her hand out to Lirio.

Lirio grimaced and gasped loudly once she shook Elena's hand. "I'm sorry, Elena. I have to go." She let herself up from the ground, brushed herself off, and quickly turned around.

"Lirio, wait-" Elena tried to stop her, but she ran away from her so fast.

Elena furrowed her eyebrows, curious as to what had happened that might have scare the young witch away. Coming up with nothing, she proceeded to head back to her dorm.

That night, Elena pondered on her conversations with both Liam and Lirio. And with those thoughts, she went to bed, and slept the first dreamless sleep she's had in ages.

* * *

**~END OF CHAPTER FIVE~**

* * *

**A/N** :

-I know that this might seem like a boring chapter, but Lirio's significance to the story will be explained in later chapters.

-Next chapter, Elena will have some interactions with more familiar characters.

-Apologies for the lack of Delena in this chapter. But trust me, I have a clear picture in my head on how they're going to be together again.

-Many thanks to all of you who are still interested. Don't forget to follow, fave and review if you like this story.


	6. Don't Dream It's Over

**A/N **: Another update...WHAT? Again, many thanks to those who have read, faved, followed, and reviewed this story so far. Your patronage is deeply appreciated.

* * *

**CHAPTER SIX – Don't Dream It's Over**

* * *

SUNDAY

Sunday night, Alaric took her to a gallery for the opening of a photo exhibition of the Whitmore College Historical Society. She wasn't exactly interested in the exhibit, and from the looks of it, she could tell that Ric wasn't interested either. At the very least, they were making an effort to keep in touch. He updated her about the challenges of being a college professor, and she informed him about the new witch friend she had made. He warned her not to trust so easily, and she told him not to worry about her.

The night ended, Ric dropped her off at her dorm, where she spent another night waiting for the dreams that never showed.

MONDAY

Jeremy finally decided to stop ignoring her, and drove all the way from Mystic Falls to visit her on her dorm Monday afternoon. That night, she made dinner for her and her little brother. It was an effort to return to normalcy, something attempted too many times before, it's almost like tradition now. The baked chicken parmesan came out a bit dry, and the stir-fried beef and broccoli was a tad overcooked. Other than that, the meal was mostly edible and Jeremy didn't die from food poisoning.

Later that night, she went to bed, and slept restlessly, but without dreams.

TUESDAY

Tuesday night, Elena allowed Caroline to take her to a frat party. Like many previous school parties, there were copious amounts of alcohol. The Delta Kappa Tau house party was no exception. And where there's alcohol, there are no shortage of drunken idiots. Elena regretted why she even went. It was an exercise in restraint, as she struggled not to drain each and every single douche bag at the party. But Caroline insisted that Elena could use a well-deserved break, and as always, what Caroline wants, Caroline gets.

It wasn't even midnight when she excused herself and told Caroline that she was leaving. She went back to her dorm, tired and ready for bed, where she got some fitful but dreamless sleep.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday, she went to meet Matt at the cinema, just a few miles outside Mystic Falls. They were going to see a low-budget, high-octane British sci-fi action film that is out on limited release. Something about a traumatized ex-soldier who experiences life in discrete, disorienting bursts of nine minutes and 47 seconds. Not really her usual cup of tea, but the actor who played the baddie was a blue-eyed hottie, a quality she has a weakness for. Plus, it gave her time to catch up with one of her oldest and dearest friends. They ate their popcorn, drank their soda, and mostly chatted during the movie.

That night, she came home, went to bed, and slept without dreams of Damon.

THURSDAY

On Thursday, Elena went back to the hot rod shop to visit Stefan. To say that he was surprised was an understatement, for he never thought that she'd be back, at least not anytime soon. To break the ice, she even made a joke that she caught him a rabbit for lunch, and how he should be proud of her 'hunting skills', because she did it without shooting an eye out. She smiled, while Stefan gave her an update on the progress with Damon's Camaro. She nodded her head, as if she had any idea what he was talking about, while he explained how he reassembled the car's bumpers and replaced the grilles.

Later that night, she went to bed, and waited for dreams that never came.

* * *

FRIDAY

The next morning, she woke up worried. Six nights of dreamless sleep. She had gone six nights without her Damon dreams. That did not sit too well with her. She racked her brain to try and figure out why her dreams of Damon had suddenly stopped. She was on the verge of a panic attack when she remembered that encounter with Lirio at the park, when the witch touched her hand, and then immediately scurried away.

She asked around the building to see if anyone knew where Lirio lived in the dormitory. She needed to find her. She needed some answers. What could she possibly have seen when they shook hands? After a bit of inquiring, she found out that Lirio lived on the third floor, a few floors below hers. She headed over there in a hurry, and urgently knocked on the witch's door.

"Lirio, open up! Please! It's important," Elena said loudly.

"Elena, what's wrong?" Lirio asked her after opening the door.

Elena tried to push her way inside the room, but there was an invisible wall that stopped. "Let me in," she ordered.

"Not like this," Lirio replied. There was a look of worry on her face. Even the witch's cat was hissing at her. "Elena, you need to calm down. I can't invite you in if your this agitated."

Elena took a few deep breaths and composed herself. "I'm fine. I'm calm," she told her.

Lirio opened her door a little with wider, and with a sweep of her arm, gesture an invitation. "Elena Gilbert, please come in. Don't make me regret this."

Elena nodded her head, and stepped inside the room. It was a normal dorm room at first glance. Just the bare necessities, table, chairs, tv, sofa. A typical college student's place. That is, until she stepped further into the room.

"You live here by yourself?" Elena asked.

"I had a roommate, Ivy. She moved out a few weeks ago. She got kinda freaked out about the books," Lirio pointed to the shelves, and the stack of books that were still inside boxes. "And the candles. And the chanting," she added. "Which is just fine by me. I'm okay living here with just Lua."

"Who's Lua?" Elena asked her.

Lirio picked up the cat and held it out to her. "Elena, meet Lua. Her name means 'moon' in Portuguese."

Elena looked at the mocha-colored cat with a flat face, short tail, and bubble eyes that had two different colors. The cat stared back at her, and there was something about the way Lua looked at her that seemed so familiar. Which was weird, because she wasn't a cat person.

"So, what's so urgent that you were in such a hurry to see me?" Lirio asked Elena, jolting the vampire out of her thoughts.

"I needed to talk to you. Remember, that day we met, I told you about losing the man that I love?" Elena asked.

"Yes. Damon," the witch replied. "What about it?"

"Lirio, when you shook my hand that day, you saw something didn't you?" Elena pressed.

"Elena, I-" Lirio stammered.

"Please, tell me the truth!" Elena interrupted her. "For months, I've always seen him in my dreams. It's been almost a week since I've dreamt of him. It stopped since we've talked, that day we met. You saw something when you shook my hand, and whatever it was, it scared you. Look, I know you think you mean well, but you're not doing me any favors. I need those dreams back. If it's the only way I could keep him in my life, I'll take it. Please, give them back!" she begged her.

"It's true," Lirio admitted. "I did see something. When I touched you, I saw a crow. There was fog. And a man."

"Lirio..." Elena whispered.

Lirio shook her head. "There's something else. A feeling. It was an oppressive darkness...painful...and so very sad. It was just too overwhelming. I got scared. I'm sorry," she continued. "But I swear to you, Elena, I have nothing to do with putting an end to your dreams."

Elena ran her hand over her hair. "I don't get it. Why would the dreams just stop all of all sudden?" she asked in a panic.

"Come here," Lirio ushered her towards the kitchen. "I know you said that it's not easy for a witch and a vampire to trust each other, but I need you to trust me."

"The fact that you still want to help me after I've accuse you speaks volumes. I'm willing to go on a little faith here," Elena answered.

Lirio went to the cupboards and got a jar and a cup. She took a spoonful of tea grinds, and put them in the cup.

"Er...I think my problems are way beyond the help of lavender tea." Elena told the witch.

"You're not going to drink it," Lirio replied, as she motioned for her to walk towards the sink. She handed Elena the cup, as she turned on the faucet. "You're gonna swirl it. It's called tasseography. I read it in one of the gypsy cookbooks," she explained.

"Tea-leaf reading? Seriously? Do you at least have a bucket? I need something bigger than a cup to match my stress level." Elena chuckled half-heartedly.

"Just trust me, okay? I know what I'm doing," she reassured Elena.

Elena swirled the cup, like she was told, and poured the water out. "Here you go," she said, as she handed the cup back to her friend.

Lirio looked intently at the contents of the cup, concentrating on the shapes that she saw. "I see an axe, a knife, a raven, a saw, a pair of scissors, a rabbit, a fence, and a door left ajar. Damn, girl! You weren't kidding about your stress level," she said.

"But what do they mean?" Elena asked impatiently.

"An axe means overcoming a lot of difficulties...a knife is a broken friendship...a raven means death that leads to new beginnings...a saw is an interference that tears you apart...the scissors mean quarrels and separation...a rabbit means the need for bravery...a fence means minor setbacks and limitations...and the door that's ajar means that you're unsure whether to open to something new or close it to old issues and relationships." Lirio explained.

"I...I need to sit down," Elena said, as she took a seat on one of the chairs. "This is...a lot to take in."

"You are way out of balance, Elena," Lirio told her, while rubbing her shoulders. "Your brain overrides your heart, but your heart is fighting back. Keeping up with that pace has blocked out other parts of yourself."

"I don't know what to do," Elena whispered.

"Sure you do," Lirio told her. "Your head says to hold on to the loved ones that you have left and make them happy, while your heart screams for you to honor Damon's love. Which is more important to you?" she asked her. "You wanna regain your balance and reconnect, you'll have to make a choice. The fact that you came to me all panicked over losing your dreams...that leads me to believe that you already have your answer," she surmised.

There was silence between them for a while, before Elena nodded her and stood from the chair. "I should go. I've disturbed you enough," she told Lirio.

"Not just yet," the witch said, as she ushered them back to the living room. "I did some research, found out about your guardian, the history professor who only teaches at night. He 's a vampire too."

"Yes...Alaric Saltzman. Why do you ask?" Elena pressed.

"I wanted to do something for you." Lirio replied.

"You've already done enough, Lirio," Elena told her.

"I need you to know for sure that you can trust me," the witch said, as she rummage through the shelves.

Elena looked around the room curiously. "What are all these boxes?" she asked.

"Mostly the grimoires I've collected. And some other stuff that I use for rituals." Lirio answered.

"What about that one?" Elena asked, pointing to the small wooden chest in the corner of the room.

"That...belonged to my mother. I found in our attic back in our old house." Lirio replied.

"What's inside?" Elena persisted.

"I don't know. I've never opened it." Lirio said.

"Why not? Elena asked again.

"Did you know that my father never told me a single thing about my mom. That subject was off-limits. So, I had to rely on my imagination regarding anything about my mother." Lirio sighed. "If I open that box, I'd know my mother's history. I have a perfect version of my mom inside my head, Elena. What if the contents of that box doesn't live up to my fantasy?"

"I know how you feel. My mom died almost half a decade ago, and there's still a lot of boxes I can't open. Well, mostly because I burned a lot of those boxes into ashes when I burned down my house, but that's not the point. I guess what I'm trying to say is, by ignoring the stuff from your mother's past, you're denying a part who you are." Elena advised her.

"I'll...try to keep that in mind. Thank you." Lirio said. "Ahhh! Found it!" she declared, pulling out a small jewelry box from one of the shelves.

"What is that?" Elena asked her.

"I've been reading up on 'daywalking amulets'. We're going to make your guardian a daylight ring," Lirio answered. "Well...I will be making the daylight ring, but you can give it to him. You know...as a sign of my friendship and good faith."

Lirio opened the jewelry box, and picked a lapiz lazuli stone. Then she took one of the grimoires and began reading out loud.

"Lapis, nocere negaverimus,

Mitte terra, et cælum,

Mare et mitte flamma,

Lapis virtute tueri, cujus te"

After the chant, she let Elena choose the perfect size of the ring. She took out her tools, and placed the stone loosely into the ring with a pair of small pliers. She removed the stone temporarily, and set it aside on a clean soft cloth. She then dabbed a very small amount of jeweler's adhesive on the rim of the metal setting, to give it added security that the stone will remain in its place inside the prongs, before picking up the stone again with the pliers, and placing the stone exactly as it should be in the setting.

"Where did you learn how to do this?" Elena asked curiously.

"My father was a jeweler." Lirio replied, while she allowed the glue to bond the stone to the metal. She let the adhesive dry for a few minutes, then she held it out in front of the window, where the fading sunlight can catch it. Again, she read from the grimoire, and began chanting once more.

"Potestates, quoniam opus est ut me adiuvet

Adiuva me et auguriis et anulum, commodo

Morbum facile delere

Intulit iniurias curare Sol, sic fiat semper"

Lirio finished the blessing, then faced Elena and smiled. "There...all done." she said, as she put the ring on Elena's palm. "Give his to Mr. Saltzman."

"I don't know how I can repay you. I don't think a mere thank you would suffice," Elena choked on the words.

"You're friendship is all I need," Lirio answered.

"You have my friendship, and my gratitude." Elena said.

Elena thanked Lirio one last time, before she said her goodbyes, and headed back to her dorm room.

* * *

As she stepped out of the elevator, she ran into Liam. She smiled at him and gave him a friendly nod.

"She smiles. Does that mean that you're not mad at me anymore?" Liam asked.

"I wasn't mad at you, Liam." Elena told him. "I was angry at a lot of things, but I was never mad at you," she clarified.

"Good. So how about going out with me tonight?" he invited her. "Grab a bite to eat, have a drink or two, maybe play some pool? You know, just hang out."

"You're asking me out on a date?" Elena asked.

"Yes, I guess I am," Liam replied. He saw Elena shook her head slightly. "Come on, Elena. You might have to suffer through my lame jokes and huge ego during the night, but I'll buy the drinks, pay for the food and promise to let you win on pool every now and then."

Elena sighed. "Liam, look into my eyes," she ordered him. "I need you to do this for me. Find yourself a girl who's nice and normal. Someone who'd laugh at your lame jokes, and wouldn't mind that you're an egotistical ass. Someone who'd appreciate you taking her out for a night of fun. You deserve that much. Forget about me," she compelled him, before walking away.

She reached her door and went inside her room. She laid on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She thought about all that had transpired in the last few hours, and what Lirio advised her. Everyone she knew wanted her to be better. They wanted her to heal. But no one knew how. No one except her.

_My heart can't heal without him._

Every moved she made this past week was a step away from Damon. Not anymore. She closed her eyes, and she made her choice.

"Hey," she whispered.

"Hey back," Damon replied with a smile. "I've missed you," he told her.

"Not as much as I miss you," she answered.

That was it. That was all she needed. Even though it was only a fantasy.

And so... on the 7th night, she rested easily, as her dreams returned to her, along with the man she had now vowed to always choose.

* * *

**~END OF CHAPTER SIX~**

* * *

**A/N** :

-Song Suggestion : Don't Dream It's Over by Crowded House/Sixpence None The Richer

-Points if you can guess which movie did Elena watched with Matt at the cinema Wednesday.

-My feelings toward Liam are lukewarm. Although I don't believe he'll be much of a threat to Delena, that doesn't mean he's not going to try (ha ha!)

-The character Lirio just kinda crept up on me. I figured Elena needs a friend who's special in her own right, but also has struggles with normalcy, much like herself. And maybe someone who can give advice but won't make snap judgments about her. You may not like her (yet), but you can't hate her (yet) either. I mean, she made Alaric a daylight ring, for Christ sakes! ;)

-Thanks again for taking time to read this fic. You have no idea how much reader reviews mean to fanfic writers (not only me), even if it's just one line, or even a few words. Writing stories takes a lot of time and energy, and I'm glad to know that you guys are enjoying yourselves reading this, just as much as I did writing it.


	7. We'll Be A Dream

**A/N :**

Apologies, I know it's been a while since my last update. Special thanks to _Helene08, PoisonMistressX, and Cuddy_, for guessing the title of the movie that Matt and Elena watched at the cinema. (**The Anomaly**)

_In Memoriam _: I'd like to add my voice the many who have paid tribute to the late **Robin Williams**. He was a true master on stage and screen, who brought laughter and happiness to millions, but tragically couldn't have it for himself. Rest in peace, Mr. Williams. Here's hoping that you find peace in death that eluded you in life.

Coincidentally, the title of this story, _What Dreams May Come_, is the same as one of Mr. Williams' films, where he played a man who risked his soul an eternity in Hell, for a small chance to bring his one true love's spirit with him into Heaven.

* * *

**CHAPTER SEVEN – We'll Be A Dream**

* * *

Elena tried not to stare, but it was difficult to not be in awe of the woman's beauty. There was no doubt which parent Damon had gotten his looks from. Antonia Salvatore had raven black hair with natural curls, flawless skin and eyes as intensely blue as the ocean. She was well-mannered, had an air of sophistication and confidence, carried herself with elegance and poise, but her eyes were filled with love and affection. Elena was nervous at first when Damon told her that he was taking her to meet his mother, but that feeling quickly disappeared once she was graced by Antonia's kind and gentle demeanor.

It was an intimate family dinner for just the three of them. They were dressed in style of old Southern garb. The two women wore evening gowns made of lace and heavy silk, with low necklines and short sleeves, their hands covered with crocheted fingerless mitts. Damon looked like a handsome gentleman in his matching high-collars, tailor-fit jacket, waistcoat and trousers.

Elena was treated to a lovely supper, prepared earlier by none other than Mrs. Salvatore herself, while the woman regaled her with colorful stories from Damon's childhood. They had finished dessert, Mrs. Salvatore's honey caramel peach pie, which was one of the most delicious things Elena had ever tasted. It was one of those nights she never wanted to be over, but she knew it had to end soon.

Damon had left Elena in his mother's company as he stepped outside to ready the carriage that will take them home, while both women withdrew to the drawing room of the of the mansion at the old Salvatore Estate. It was a lot larger in size, but much more like a home than the Salvatore Boarding House. It seemed brighter, and had more of a feminine touch, no doubt inspire by the lady of the house.

"Would you like some more tea, dear?" Damon's mother asked her.

"Yes, I would love some more, Mrs. Salvatore," Elena answered politely.

"No, my dearest, Mrs. Salvatore is my mother-in-law. You may call me 'Mamma'. In fact, I insist," Antonia told her, as she poured Elena another cup of sweet tea.

"Thank you...Mamma," Elena replied, finding the word just naturally rolled of her tongue.

Antonia smiled warmly towards her. "It delights my heart that my Damon finally found love. I am grateful that you came into his life, and I will regard you as my daughter, if you will allow it."

"Oh, it would be my honor, Mamma," Elena replied.

"My oldest son is more than just smitten by you. The look he gives you is the look of love. His face lights up like a kid on Christmas morning when you walk into the room, and then starts missing you the moment you two are separated. I have never seen him so happy than when is around you, and for that, you have my deepest gratitude," Antonia told her.

Elena could feel her face blush. "No need to thank me. I love your son with all of my heart as well," she replied, her smile growing wider.

"I'm glad that you have each other," Antonia smiled in return. She took Elena's hand in hers. "I can tell that your love for him is strong. Women like us who choose to love Salvatore men have the strongest hearts in the world. We have to, because it is not an easy task, as you would already know."

"Yes, but I am up to the challenge," Elena assured her, gently squeezing Antonia's hand in return.

"That's all I needed to hear," Antonia said with a grateful smile.

Just then, Damon entered the drawing room, happily looking at the two women he loves so dearly.

He turned to his mother. "As much as I would hate to interrupt this serious conversation, which I have no doubt is entirely about me, I'm afraid that we must depart soon," he informed Antonia. He then turned his attention to Elena. "Miss Gilbert, our carriage awaits." he told her.

"It is still early. Must you really leave now?" Antonia asked.

"I must return Elena to her family soon, Mamma," Damon answered his mother.

"I had a wonderful evening, Mamma. Thank you for your hospitality," Elena said to Antonia.

"It was a pleasure to finally meet you, Elena," Antonia replied with an honest smile. She then turned her attention to her oldest boy. _"*__Luce dei miei occhi,"_ she said, as she cupped his face with both her hands. "You are my son, and I am proud of you. You can hold your head high." she reminded Damon. _"*Addio, mio piccolo corvo. Ti voglio bene."_

"_*Ti amo, Mamma." _Damon replied, as he kissed his mother's palms, then both of her cheeks.

"_*Viaggi sicuri," _she said to her son. She then turned to Elena. "Travel safe." she told the young lady. She took both Damon and Elena's hands, and brought them together. "You take care of each other."

They both nodded,and Elena kissed both of Antonia's cheeks, as they bid each other farewell.

* * *

Outside, Damon assisted Elena as she got into the carriage. He took one last look at his mother, who was at the steps in front of their old home, and he waved her goodbye and blew her a kiss. Watching them from a distance, Elena could see that the two Salvatores both have tears forming in their eyes. Damon finally got inside the carriage, and gave the coachman the signal to leave.

After a short awkward pause, Elena broke the silence. "I'm so sorry, Damon," she said.

"Sorry? What for?" he asked, with confusion in his eyes.

"As nervous as I was before, this evening must have been a lot more difficult for you," Elena clarified, as she snuggled her head on Damon's shoulder.

"I wanted you to meet her," Damon told her, as he kissed her left temple. "She would have loved you, you know? If she had met you before she died, she would have loved you, and spoiled you," he informed her.

"Just the way you love me. You get your heart from her." Elena replied, pulling him closer.

"If only that were true," Damon sighed. "She was the best woman I know. My home was in my mother's eyes. Without her love, I was just lost. When she died, it felt like my heart died along with her."

"I'm glad it didn't," Elena said with a loving smile.

"It's nice to see you smiling again," Damon told her.

"It's nice to have a reason to smile again," she replied.

"Don't ever lose that smile, Elena Gilbert. It looks great on you," he said.

"Don't ever leave me again, that way, I won't have to lose this smile that you love so much." Elena answered. She was met with silence. "Damon?"

"Still here," he assured her, as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. "Just thinking."

"Of what?" Elena inquired.

"Love...and other disasters," he answered.

"Our love isn't a disaster," Elena argued.

"Look at us, Elena. The Universe keeps finding ways to rip us apart,"he pointed out.

"And we keep finding our way back to each other," she reminded him.

"I just don't like it when you're sad, especially since it's because of me. I saw you, that night we brought Stefan back. I've never seen you look so broken. You looked like you've given up, and that's saying a lot, considering you're one of the strongest women I know." he said.

"I didn't give up. I was just searching for a reason to go on. And now I do." She brought her hands to his face, and gently kissed him on the lips. "If the situation was reversed, if I had died that night instead of you, you would've took your ring off, and walked on sunshine the very next day."

"But that-" Damon tried to argue.

"Shhh...but nothing." Elena silenced him with another kiss. "Damon look at me. If this is the only way that we can be together, then so be it. I'm more than sure of this. I'd rather have you in my dreams than not have you in my life at all," she declared.

They continued to kiss each other until the carriage stopped, signaling their arrival to their destination. Damon stepped out, then held his hand out to assist Elena. She smiled once she realized where they were. She was back home, at the old Gilbert house, before it burned down. Everything felt so familiar, as Damon walked her to the front porch. She was suddenly turned back into her old self, wearing her favorite denim jeans and a casual sweater, while Damon reverted back to his usual dark jeans, black shirt, biker boots and leather jacket.

Damon brushed a stray strand of her long, pin-straight hair away from her face. "Goodnight, my love," He took her hand in his and kissed it, then started to leave.

Elena pulled him back before he could walk away. She grabbed the back of his neck and bought his face closer to her, then kissed him none-too-gently. Soon, it was a mess of teeth, and tongues fighting for dominance, their hands roaming all over each other.

They kissed for a while, until Damon finally pulled back, to let her catch her breath. "I have to go," he told her. She absent-mindedly tried to follow him. "You need to stay," he said.

She chuckled, as she gave him one last peck, and then ran towards the door. She turned back to Damon, almost halfway into the house. "I love you!" she shouted with all her heart.

"I love you back!" Damon answered.

"I'll see you in my dreams," she reminded him.

"Until tonight, Baby," Damon reassured her.

Elena watched him, as he walked back to his blue Camaro, and reluctantly drove away. Only when he was gone, then she went inside the house.

* * *

That morning, Elena woke up with the brightest smile on her face. She got up from bed and stretched her body, feeling refreshed and re-energized. She was whistling all the way into the kitchen, as she heated herself a mug of blood for breakfast, and then chased it down with some high-octane coffee. She took a relaxing shower, and fix herself with very minimal make-up, and was out of the dorm the moment she was done.

She felt like a whole new woman, full of hope...a woman on a mission. But first things first. She still needed to deliver a gift, along with some good news. And with renewed purpose, she drove towards her destination.

* * *

**~END OF CHAPTER SEVEN~**

* * *

**A/N :**

_*"__Luce dei miei occhi," - _Light of my eyes

*_"Addio, mio piccolo corvo. Ti voglio bene." _- Farewell, my Little Crow. I love you.

*_"Ti amo, Mamma." -_ I love you, Mother.

*_"Viaggi sicuri," - _Travel safe.

-I've always wanted to write a one-shot where Elena gets to meet Damon and Stefan's mother. This chapter is kind of a fantasy fulfillment for me. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

-Many thanks to all my patient readers. I really appreciate the feedback you give me.

-Next chapter...The Return. But of who? Stay tuned.


	8. Never Had A Dream Come True

**A/N **: Many thanks for all the positive reactions regarding Mamma Salvatore. In this chapter, we see some Elena and Alaric interactions, plus, some previous character(s) returning. And I have a present for you waiting at the end of the chapter.

* * *

**CHAPTER 8 – Never Had A Dream Come True**

* * *

Elena happily hummed along to a pop song playing on the radio, while on a short drive outside of the Whitmore campus. She pulled up outside a residential building, where the loft Alaric was currently staying at was located. She pressed on the buzzer immediately after she stepped out of the elevator. When there was no answer, she proceeded to knock.

"Alaric?" she called out. "I know you're in there. I can hear the television."

When there was still no answer, she took out her spare key, and let herself in anyway. Alaric would have mentioned any indication that she was disturbing him by saying something, but since he said nothing, she figured it was okay to come inside.

"Ric?" she called out again, as knocked on his bedroom door before entering. She found him in his bed, tossing and turning underneath the duvet.

"Five more minutes..." Ric grumbled, as he threw the covers over his head.

"Come on, Ric...get up! It's almost eleven o'clock," she told him.

"Don't care..." he mumbled in response.

Elena pulled the covers off his face. "I have a surprise for you," she singsonged in a cheerful tone.

"That's nice," Ric replied. "You can just leave her by the bed. I'll get to her later. Owww!" Ric bolted upwards, as Elena grabbed him by the earlobe.

"You're gonna get out of bed. You going to take a shower and put on some fresh clothes. Then we're gonna go back to the campus," she ordered him.

"But...I don't have classes until tonight! And speaking of classes...why are you not in yours?" he asked.

"I'm kinda in between majors at the moment. But don't change the subject! Go get ready," she told him.

"Why are we going to Whitmore?" he asked, as he sat by the foot of the bed. "You're not in trouble with the dean, are you?" Ric looked at her suspiciously.

"Actually, this is more about you and less about me," she answered cryptically.

"Yeah, I'm going to need more details than that," he said, as he rubbed his hands all over his face.

"You are going to march inside Department of History faculty office, and you're going to inform them that Professor Alaric J. Saltzman will now be available to teach History classes during the daytime," Elena replied with conviction.

Alaric shook his head, and looked at her as if she had gone insane. "One minor hiccup in this plan of yours. I can't go out during the daytime," he pointed out.

"Oh, but you can," Elena said, as she pulled a tiny box out of her pocket and opened it. "Tada! I present you, a brand new...never been worn by any other vampire...recently enchanted...your very own daylight ring!" she announced cheerfully.

"Who made this?" Ric asked skeptically, just staring at the ring without touching it.

"The friend I told you about...Lirio," Elena replied.

"Elena..." he said, shaking his head again.

"Ric, like I told you before, she's cool. And much more than that, she's cool with vampires," she reminded him.

"Yeah, but can we trust her?" Ric pressed, still undecided.

"I trust her," she declared. "Come on, Ric...she made you a daylight ring!"

"That's just it, Elena. You trust easily, always out to find the good in people. Only, tiime and again, it's been a proven fact that the only witch we can ever really trust is Bonnie...and maybe Sheila Bennett, on a good day. I'm glad that you're making new friends, I really am. I just want to make sure that you're not putting your faith in the wrong people. Still not sold on this Lirio girl, but I trust your judgment. It's just that...can we be sure that I wouldn't combust the moment sunlight hits me?" Ric asked her.

"If that happens, I will personally avenge your death by eating her and then ripping her heart out from her chest. But that won't happen. I have a good feeling about her," she said confidently.

"Fine. Give me that," he answered, taking the the daylight ring, placing it where the Gilbert ring formerly resided. He tested it out by holding his hand outside the window, where the sunlight hit it. Nothing happened. No burning. No pain. "So far, so good."

"See?" Elena said with a smile. "Now go make yourself pretty," she told him.

Alaric chuckled. "You know, you sound like him," he told her reluctantly, knowing that he was treading on a sore subject. To his surprise, Elena's smile only grew wider.

"Thanks. I'd actually take that as a compliment." she answered. "Now, go!" Elena pushed him towards the bathroom to get ready.

* * *

A couple of hours later, stepped out of the History building and into the college quad, where Ric relished being under the warm Virginia sun again.

"So, it's official. Professor Saltzman is now a daytime teacher," Elena teased him.

"Yes, they were more than happy to accommodate me since they're a bit short-staffed," Ric replied. "This is going to majorly cut into my day-drinking time."

"You could use a little breather from being day-wasted," Elena pointed out. "Let's go. I'll let you buy me ice cream."

"Look at you, all bright and cheery. Who are you, and what have you done to Elena Gilbert?" he asked jokingly.

"Let's just say that I found a way to cope. A reason to go on. And that little by little, I can finally allow myself to have a smile on my face," Elena answered. She was about to elaborate on the subject, when she recognized two people approaching. "And just like that, something reappears to make my smile disappear," she said, as she braced herself for confrontation.

"Elena..." the woman called her name in greeting, a little wary of what her reaction would be.

"What the hell are you two doing back here?" Elena asked with a scowl.

Luke and Liv turned their heads down, afraid to look at her in the eye. "I'm sorry. It was my mistake." It was Luke who spoke first.

"A mistake? No, 1 + 1 = 3 is a mistake! People died because of what you did!" Elena snapped.

"You're the Parker witches," Alaric surmised.

"Yes, sir," Liv answered softly.

Luke tried to shake Ric's hand, but Ric ignored him. "Right..."

"Not in the mood to exchange pleasantries with you," Ric told them. "Like Elena already asked, what are you doing here?" he pressed.

"Don't worry, we're not her to cause any trouble. We just came to apologize," Liv answered.

"And apparently, you're not ready to accept our apologies," Luke muttered.

"Can you blame us?" Ric retorted. Luke stepped forward, before being met by Ric's hand on his chest. "Don't try anything funny, buddy. I'm not like most vampires you know," he warned the young warlock.

"Wait!" Liv got in between the two. "Like I said, You don't have to worry about us. We're not a threat to you."

"And we're supposed to just take your word for it?" Elena scoffed.

"Elena, I can understand why you're mad. But we're practically powerless." Liv revealed. "With our coven's witchcraft being tied to spirit magic, our powers depleted when The Other Side collapsed. We can't even do a simple candle spell. A circus magician is more powerful than us," she explained.

"And I'm supposed to feel sorry for you?" Elena asked rhetorically.

"Nice daylight ring," Luke noticed. "Looks new. Where did you get it?" he asked Alaric.

"None of your business," Ric replied irritably.

Liv gently pulled at Elena's wrist. "Elena, if you guys know someone who can still practice magic-"

"I wouldn't lift a finger to help you!" Elena snapped angrily at her.

"I helped you bring your friends back!" Liv reminded her.

"You helped us so you can get your brother back!" Elena shouted. "After that, you just abandoned the spell and ran away. You didn't care that Bonnie and Damon never made it back!"

"Bonnie was the Anchor to The Other Side," Luke pointed out. "All the magic in the Universe couldn't have saved her from imminent death."

"What about Damon?" Ric asked.

"What about him?" Luke retorted.

"You could've saved him," Elena said.

"We tried. We failed." Luke replied.

"You didn't try hard enough! You stopped the spell before he could come back!" Elena tried to fight her inner beast struggling to come out.

"The spell could have killed Liv if I didn't stop it!" Luke reasoned. "Bonnie was the one who couldn't get to Damon on time. Damon's death is on HER, not us! Besides, you got most of your loved ones back. Damon was an acceptable loss. From what I've gathered, he was no saint," Luke sneered.

"How dare you! Damon was a brother...a friend...he was loved! You don't get to pass judgment on him. You don't know him." Elena argued, while Alaric restrained her.

"And I had the duty to protect my sister first, not total strangers!" Luke shouted back, as Liv pulled him back.

"No, Luke! Let's go," Liv told her brother.

As they were trying to get away, Alaric suddenly flashed in front of them. He had his vamp face on, which immediately scared the twins. "Going somewhere?"

"Please, we already told you, we're not here for trouble," Liv pleaded.

"So you say," Alaric replied. "Look me in the eye, both of you," he ordered. "You won't bother Elena anymore. If you see her crossing the street, you will walk the other direction. You won't approach her. You will not talk to her. You will stay the hell away from her, her friends, her family." he compelled the two.

"We won't bother Elena anymore," the twins said in unison, then repeated the rest of Ric's orders.

Content that the compulsion stuck, Ric waved his hand at the two and shooed them away. "Good. Now, get the hell out of here," he said, before returning to Elena's side.

Elena fought to control her emotions, as she watched Liv and Luke walk away from them. "Is it wrong that I blame them? That I hate them?" she asked.

"I think it's natural. Anger is one of the stages of grief, but at least you were able to stay in control," Ric replied.

"You sound like Caroline," Elena told him.

"I'm channeling my inner Vampire Barbie, and bringing you joy and sunshine," Ric said jokingly. "Now..how about that ice cream?"

Elena shook her head and sighed. "Sorry. Kinda lost the mood for it. Rain check?

Ric nodded. "I understand."

"If it's okay, I think I'll just go back to my place now," she told Ric.

"Sure, I'll drop you off," Ric answered.

"Actually, I think I'll walk from here. Clear my head," Elena said.

"Okay. Call me if you need anything," he replied, as he watched Elena turned around and walked away, looking like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders once again.

* * *

What a difference several hours make. This morning, she woke up refreshed, full of infectious energy, and ready to take on whatever life throws at her. Right now, she was about to go back to her dorm, sullen, defeated, and with her tail between her legs. She pressed the STOP button on the elevator. It's a good thing she was alone, as she tried to regain some composure. She gasped for breath that she didn't need, and wiped away the tears that fell from her eyes.

_Is this my life now?_

Going home to an empty dorm room, always in a hurry to go to bed, just so she can be off to dreamland with the man she loved. This should be enough. She was the one who insisted that this would be enough for her. But how come it still feels insufficient? Not that she wasn't happy to be with Damon, even only in her dreams. But she wanted more. She needed more. More time with Damon than just at nights. More actuality than the one she experiences while she's asleep.

She wished that Damon was there to comfort her. She wished that he would keep his promise and find a way to return to her. She wished that Damon was back in her life again, and not just in her dreams.

_Idiot! You can wish all you want, it's not going to come true! He's gone. You lost him, and you're just going to have to live with that for the rest of your life. Just be grateful that you still see him in your dreams, because that's all that you're allowed to have of him. That, and sweet, painful memories._

She fixed herself, and pressed the elevator button again. Not long after that, she arrived on her floor. The closer she got to her dorm room, the wearier she became. She was anxiously anticipating how her dreams are going to give her joy, and how much her dreams are going to hurt. Because in the end, all she had was just dreams.

Elena unlocked her room, and was shocked the moment she opened her door. She took a deep breath she didn't need, blinked a few times, and even pinched herself.

_Yep. Definitely awake. No doubt about it._

There he was, standing right in front of her, staring back at her with those intense blue eyes, smiling at her with that sexy smirk.

"Honey, I'm home."

* * *

**~END OF CHAPTER EIGHT~**

* * *

**A/N **:

*Wait? Who? How? What just happened? Cliffhanger! Grrrr! [shakes fist] Stay tuned...

*I'd be shocked if you hadn't guessed what (or who) my surprise was before you reached the end of this chapter. Little tip, chapter titles are your friends.

*For those of you who violently dislike the Blunder Twins as much as I do, don't worry. They would be playing only a small, yet significant part of the plot. They won't eat much 'screen time' in this story. For those who love Liv and Luke (what's wrong with you? LOL), sorry ( not sorry) but I don't like them all that much, and that might reflect in my writing.

*As always, all feedback is much appreciated. Let me know what you think by clicking on the 'REVIEW' button. Thanks a lot for reading, and until next time!


	9. My Boyfriend's Back

**A/N** : Again, many thanks for all those who are kind enough to leave your reviews. Reader feedback is important to any writer. It makes us aware of what you like, what doesn't work, and most importantly, it lets us know that all our hard work and efforts are not just a waste of time. I truly appreciate your patronage.

* * *

**CHAPTER NINE – My Boyfriend's Back**

* * *

_Elena squinted her eyes, as she strained to see where she was. She was back at the Boarding House, in Damon's bedroom...what used to be their room. She wondered what_ s_he was doing there. She hasn't been there in months. Not since before Damon..._

_She was then brought out of her thoughts, as soon as there was movement in the room. She watched as the scene unfolded before her. She was caught inside her own consciousness...trapped in a powerful memory that constantly reminded her of one big regret. It was the memory of that night she asked Damon to let her go._

_She remained silent, as she watched her old self folding clothes and packing her bags. Soon, Damon appeared by the door, as he stared at Elena with such sad eyes._

"_Something tells me you're not packing for our honeymoon," he spoke with such lack of enthusiasm._

"_I'm going back to campus," Elena told him._

_**Please, don't do something you'll regret! **Elena told her past self, but her words fell into deaf ears._

"_You realize that you leaving doesn't solve anything, right? I mean, especially now that Jeremy's free of our horrible influence." Damon said._

"_It's not about Jeremy. It's about us. It's not just that we're bad for each other. It's just that when we're together, we do bad things for each other. And I can't live like that." Elena replied._

_**Yes, you can. YES, YOU CAN! Because it's so much better than the alternative.** Elena was now screaming at her past self._

"_I'll drive you to Whitmore." Damon volunteered, looking crestfallen. _

"_If you do that, then I'm going to spend the whole car ride thinking about your hand next to mine, and even though I'll try, I wont be able to stop myself from taking it. Or from letting you kiss me..." Elena told Damon._

_***Please don't do this to us! Please! **Elena begged the woman from her memory, but her pleas couldn't be heard._

"_...And we're never going to get to where we need to go, we'll just end up back here, where we started. That's why I need you to let me go." Elena concluded._

_**NO! You're making a mistake! Please, don't ask him to do this! This is NOT what you both want. ** She continued to beg and plead, but remained unheard. She watched Damon, as he walks over to her past self, and then put his hands on her face._

"_No, Damon..." Elena said in an uncertain voice._

"_Shhh." Damon silenced her. _

_She held her breath as she watched him, while he kissed her past self on the forehead instead of on her lips, where Elena initially thought the kiss was aimed at._

"_Travel safe," Damon whispered. He then walks out of the room without looking back._

_**You don't know what you've done. You have no idea how much you'd regret this moment. How you'd wish you could take all of it back. ** Elena continued to talk to her past self, who had her eyes glued to Damon's retreating form. Feeling sad and frustrated, she left her past self alone in the room, and moved to go after Damon. She had to talk to him. She needed to change the outcome of this night. If her past self won't do it, then she'd do it herself._

_She ran out of the room to chase after Damon, when she was suddenly engulfed with darkness. She struggled, as her eyes adjusted to the dark. She continued her search for Damon, but she had no idea where he went, or where to go from there. Suddenly, she felt his presence from behind her. She turned around to face him. There he was, standing merely a few steps away from her, looking so sad and disappointed. She reached out and tried to touch him, but he shook his head no._

"_Elena...move on..." Damon said softly._

"_I can't! I won't! Please don't ask me to do that!" Elena begged him, as she tried to touch him again, only to have him disappear into thin air._

"_No! Come back! You promised! Damon? DAMON!"_

* * *

"You promised! Damon..." Elena tossed and turned in her bed, as she clung to her sheets and punched her pillow in frustration.

"Shhh...it's alright. I'm right here," Damon comforted her. "Elena, wake up!"

"Damon?" Elena called his name, as she opened her eyes. All the events from the previous night slowly returned to her. _Damon's back. _And that thought put a smile on her face.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," he greeted her with a smile.

"If I recall correctly, Prince Philip woke up Sleeping Beauty with a kiss," Elena replied with a teasing smile.

"Believe me, Elena...if I could, I'd be all over you right now. And we wouldn't get out of this bed for ten years," Damon told her, his eyes filled with mischief.

They laid in bed in silence for a while, as Elena stared lovingly at Damon, who stayed beside her, with his hands twined behind his head. After a few minutes, Elena finally broke the silence.

"You always do that," Elena spoke.

"What?" Damon asked with a furrowed brow.

"You lay your head on your hands when you think you're not allowed to touched me," Elena answered, as she leaned slightly closer to him.

"In past experiences, I was trying to be a gentleman. In this case, I'm physically not able to," Damon explained to her.

"Are you sure?" Elena pressed.

Damon sighed. "I'm afraid so. In all aspects, I'm still just a ghost. I'm only an image. No touch."

"But you're really here," Elena whispered.

"Yes, I'm really here," Damon replied.

"This isn't a dream? You're real?" Elena asked, wanting to make sure.

"The one you had moments ago, THAT was a dream. This...NOT a dream. And I am real...-ish," Damon tried to assure her. "Speaking of which, what were you dreaming of earlier? I couldn't get inside your head, otherwise, I would've been there with you," he inquired.

"No, you were in it," Elena corrected him.

"It must have not been a very good dream then," Damon surmised.

"Why do you say that?" Elena asked him.

"Because you were crying," Damon replied. "What was your dream about?" he asked, but met with silence. "Elena?"

After a brief pause, Elena answered. "It was a memory, from that night I asked you to let me go. I kept begging my other self not to do it, but she wouldn't listen."

"She has a stubborn-streak, that one," Damon commented.

"Anyways, you left, and I went after you...but I got lost in the darkness. But you found me," she continued.

"I will always know where to find you," Damon said.

Elena shook her head. "It was different this time. After you found me, you told me to 'move on'..."

"Well, that doesn't sound much like me," Damon told her.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I wouldn't have said that. It's not selfish enough," he replied, half-jokingly.

"You're not selfish," Elena argued. "Stop saying that you're selfish! I wouldn't love you if you were selfish! You died to bring your brother back from the dead. Tyler, Luke, Enzo, Stefan, Alaric, and ME...we're here because of you. You couldn't come back in time because you had to make sure that Liz was alive and safe. So please...stop saying that you're selfish!"

"I'm not a saint, Elena. Don't make me out to be one," Damon told her.

"No, you're not a saint. You're a hero," Elena replied. "And unfortunately for me, most of the heroes I know are dead," she added, as she turned away and got out of bed.

Damon stood up to follow her. "Elena, I'm not sorry for what I did to bring everyone back...but I am sorry that I couldn't come back to you. I ran out of time," he explained.

"Time...I hate TIME. There's never enough TIME! We can never turn back TIME!" Elena said in a raised voice. "You know what my dream reminded me of? That I wasted so much TIME, hiding behind my fears...listening to other people's opinions of us." She took a deep breath before she continued. "I was wrong to ask you to let me go. I'm a mess when I'm with you, I won't deny that. But without you, I'm an even bigger mess. I love you so much Damon. Please, don't ever leave me again," she pleaded.

"I promise you, I will never leave you again," Damon swore.

"I've heard that before, and I still lost you," Elena reminded him.

"And I found my way back to you," Damon pointed out.

"You came back to me," Elena said with a light smile.

"As promised," Damon replied, smiled in return.

"I'm happy that you're back," Elena whispered.

"So am I," Damon answered.

"I wish I can hold you," Elena confessed.

"Ditto," Damon whispered.

"I still can't believe it! You're really here!" Elena tried not to cry. She was so sick of crying.

"Believe it, Baby!" Damon told her.

"How is this even possible?" Elena asked.

"I don't know," Damon replied. "I wish I can explain this, but I can't."

"That's okay. Let's just savor this moment," Elena told him.

"We need a witch," Damon stated.

"What?" Elena asked him.

"We need answers, Lena. Answers only a witch can give us...hopefully." Damon explained.

"That's too bad. I'm fairly certain that I've burned bridges with Liv and Luke," Elena answered. She saw Damon staring at her suspiciously. "What?"

"Lie," Damon said.

"I don't know what you're-" Elena tried to lie again, before Damon interrupted her.

"Elena...I've been with you this whole time. I've been inside your mind. I know that you have a witch. Why would you even lie about that?" Damon pressed.

"Damon..." she groaned. "Let's not look a gift horse in the mouth. You came back to me. You're here. Let's not go looking for any trouble."

"I don't know what you're so scared of, Elena," he said.

"I'm afraid to lose you again!" Elena snapped. "What if the witches don't know that you escaped the Other Side, huh? What if the spirits gets mad that you managed to find a way back to me? Hell, what if the Universe decides to rip us apart again?"

"That won't happen," Damon reassured her.

"You say that, but you don't know for sure!" Elena replied. "Can't we just let it be, for now? Can't we just be happy for five minutes, before we go looking for more problems?

Damon shook his head, and sat down on the sofa. "I never thought I'd say this, but I wish Bonnie was here."

There was a brief awkward pause, before Elena cleared her throat and spoke. "Damon...what happened to Bonnie?" she asked, feeling like a bad friend for not asking this sooner.

Damon tried to clear his head and think. "I don't know." He shook his head. "I remember there was a bright light. I remember holding her hand. And then, there was nothing. I can't..." He growled in frustration. "Why can't I remember?"

He took out his anger by kicking up his foot. All of a sudden, there was a loud crashing noise. He and Elena looked at the floor, both of them in shock. His foot had knocked over the vase on her coffee table, sending it crashing against the wall, before the shards fell to the floor. Damon looked at Elena, before turning his attention back to the broken vase.

"Oops...I wasn't suppose to do that, was I?"

* * *

**~END OF CHAPTER NINE~**

* * *

**A/N** :

*Just to clear up any confusion, the first part of this chapter was a dream sequence. It was present Elena witnessing (as an audience) a memory of her past self, that night she asked Damon to let her go (okay, so maybe I inserted that heartbreaking scene from the new S6 teaser for dramatic effect). Past Elena's lines are in italics like most of the dream,while Present Elena's lines are in boldface.

*Yes, this is the real Damon, and he is back. He's out of the 'dream world', and back in the 'real world'. The question still remains...how did Damon return? And where's Bonnie? The answer to the first question will be revealed in the upcoming chapter(s). The answer to the second question? Drum roll please...Bonnie's already back! Points to whoever can guess who she is. The answer might surprise you. HINT : It's not Lirio.

*Again, thank you so much for reading this chapter. Hopefully you'll like it enough to leave a review.


	10. Reunited And It Feels So Good

**A/N** : A couple of you guys noticed that one-word reference from the movie,"Ghost"...something I didn't even think anyone would notice. Good eye. Also, one reader/reviewer has brought to my attention that Damon and Elena has yet to have a 'proper' reunion. And because I try my best to make the readers happy, here's a chapter of some Delena-lovin'. And boy, did they reunite! They reunited...hard...multiple times. WARNING : Not kid-friendly. Sorry kiddies, but you have to look away! So here it goes...brace yourselves, this is going to be massive!

* * *

**CHAPTER TEN – Reunited...And It Feels So Good**

* * *

Elena moaned softly, as she gently awoke to the rays of the morning light that began to peek through her window. As she slowly became aware of her surroundings, she wasn't oblivious to the pair of hands that gently grazed her skin. She was lying on her stomach, naked and curled up closely to Damon's naked body. She let out a pleasured sigh, as Damon's hands began to roam all over her body.

"Well...this is a nice wake-up call," Elena said, as she let out a breathless gasp.

"You know me...always at your service to make sure that your days begin on a high note," Damon replied.

It had been 10 days. Ten long, euphoric days since Damon had rediscovered his ability to touch. And he had spent a great part of those ten days relearning every inch of her, memorizing how every part of her body would react to the feel of his body.

Her mornings would begin in bed next to Damon, their naked bodies tangled up to each other. And her nights would end with Damon making wild and passionate love to her, until her body passes out from bliss. It didn't matter if their lovemaking was hard and fast or gentle and slow, the end result of it would always be her body shaking violently from an orgasm...or two...or more.

As her body slowly woke up, Elena gasped, when she felt Damon's tongue, licking and teasing, his open-mouthed kisses tracing its way from her tailbone, up to the back of her neck. She pushed up against him, not minding his weight on top of her. He lowered his mouth, nuzzling closer to the curve where her neck and her shoulder meets, leaving gentle nips and nibbles. She moaned languidly while he continued his seductive assault, his hand sliding in the space between her breasts and the soft mattress, slipping through the crease of the sheets, as he searched for the nipples that pressed hard against the linen. She enjoyed his journey there, savoring his touch on her soft, round flesh, the supple curve of her breast and the texture of skin pulling taut against muscle. Another sharp intake of breath escaped her, as his palms kneaded the ripe flesh, searching for the ever-tightening nub of erect tissue that would send tingles of pleasure throughout her body. The sensation of his body against her skin was strong enough to send waves of heat rippling down to her core.

Elena's eyes slammed shut, while Damon drew one pleasured moan after another out of her, as he continued caressing her body, touching her in all the right places, in the most sensual ways. She writhed underneath him, the firm flesh of her bottom pushing into the hard ridge of his manhood, wanting more...needing more.

"What can I do for you, Elena?" Damon whispered, while his hands and mouth continue to tease her mercilessly.

"Whatever you want, baby," she replied breathlessly, rubbing her body against his, straining for more stimulation.

She felt his lips pressed a smile against her shoulder, making her thigh involuntarily part slightly. He settled comfortably on top of her, his legs over hers, his chest making full contact with the her bare back, making every inch of her skin tingle. She purred with delight, as she felt his throbbing member pressed prolifically in between her bottom. A wicked gush of moisture escaped her, as his erection slowly demanded entry, pushing against her velvet folds, but not far enough to penetrate. Electricity surged into her body, and she gasped when he felt him nudged her legs apart, his deft fingers working into her core. She moved to get on her hands and knees, when she felt Damon's hand gently pressed down her back, stopping her from movement.

"Relax, baby. Let me do all the work," he commanded her.

He reached underneath her thighs and spread her left knee out to the side, followed by his hips gently rocking into her. As his erection teasingly slid up and down, she could feel herself moistening with each delicious stroke, until she had gone very silent, and her breaths were a little more than shallow gasps of bliss. He positioned himself so that his cock would make contact with her center, and then pushed again.

"Damon..." she whispered, as she felt him tease that tiny pearl of flesh within her folds.

The sensation made her buck against him, and she whimpered, while his hands and his mouth worked her body with renewed intensity, the gentle journey of his lips in contrast with the rough treatment of his fingers. Sliding past her wet folds, he inserted a finger, and then another one, promising her all kinds of pleasure, as his fingers continued to plunge within the passage that his cock would soon invade. He was driving her insane with lust and longing.

She felt a momentary pang of loss when he removed his fingers, but was quickly replaced with excited anticipation when he started to lift her hips slightly off the bed. Finally, she felt his erection nudge slowly between her silky folds, and entered her from behind. Damon held on to her hips, as he pushed into her inch by inch, until he was buried to the hilt. Elena moaned loudly as he made his invasion, parting her thighs wider, feeling like he could never be deep enough inside of her. She gasped, once he was embedded inside of her, his hands greedily gripping her thighs, before he began drilling into her in alternating hard and gentle strokes.

"Fuck! Oh God! Damon! Yes! Ohhhh!" she screamed, as she rocked her hips in unison with his.

He swept her long hair to the side, then nuzzled the side of her neck, pressing sultry, open-mouthed kisses, while his other hand held onto her tightly, as he began to pumped into her harder. She reached behind her, her hand latching on to the back of Damon's head, her nails not so gently massaging his scalp, urging him on. The pleasure he continued to give her was beyond belief, the strong and steady push and pull rhythm driving her to the edge.

"Don't stop...so close..." she mumbled almost incoherently.

She whimpered and shivered, as he thrust harder in and out of her. Her back arched into his, as she exploded in sheer pleasure, her body finally climaxing to the height of ecstasy. Exhausted but sated, her body collapsed to the bed, with Damon's body still on top of her, his face nuzzled at the side of her neck, his cock still buried inside of her. He placed kisses from her neck to her shoulder, before he tried to slowly lift his body away from her.

"Not yet." Elena stopped him from moving. "Stay with me. Just for a little bit longer," she pleaded.

"Forever. We'll stay like this forever. You won't hear me complain." he replied, while slowly lowering his body back down, molding her body into his.

He lightly bit her shoulders with blunt teeth, then playfully licked and sucked into her earlobes. She felt him harden inside her again, as he moved slowly and subtly this time. His movements stimulated her with little circles on the left...little circles on the right...several shallows strokes...followed by a deeper thrust. Much different from the intensity of their previous coupling. Then again, Damon had never made loved to her in the same way twice. Every sexual experience with him is always different. The man had her in a trance, the orgasms he gave her were more intense, full-body and satisfying. Her mind was blown, her body, grateful.

Not long after her body spasmed into another climax, her body rested back in bed, sated and fully relaxed. Damon must have thought that she went back to sleep, because she felt him carefully got up from bed, cautious not to disturb her resting body. With one eye open, she sneaked a peek at him, watching him slowly put his clothes on before silently walking out of the room.

Using her vampire hearing, she heard him go into the kitchen, most probably to make her breakfast. She reluctantly got out of bed, then began to search for her clothes. She found her dress and underwear scattered on the floor tattered to shreds, a reminder of last night's passion. She smiled, shrugged and wrapped her body in her silk sheets, then proceeded to follow Damon into the kitchen.

Once she was there, she watched Damon in silence, as he moved around, making coffee and preparing her waffles. She was constantly in awe of the man before her, whose sole purpose in this new-found life seems to be loving her, protecting her, taking good care of her, and making sure that she is happy.

Without looking up, Damon smirked and spoke, breaking her out of her thoughts. "You sooo wanna make out with me right now, don't you?"

"Well...when do I NOT ever wanna make out with you?" Elena chuckled, as she sat at the kitchen counter.

"I'm making waffles for breakfast, unless you have any request?" Damon asked her, as he handed her a mug of warm blood, then leaned to press a light kiss into her lips.

"Waffles sounds good. Maybe some bacon...omelette ...YOU..." she replied in between returning his kisses.

"You already had me," Damon laughed lightly.

"What can I say? I'm insatiable," Elena told him, slowly deepening their kiss.

Damon pulled away slightly after a few moments. "Elena...I have never in my life, burned breakfast before. And I'm not about to start now," he said with a playful smirk, before turning his attention back to the stove.

Elena took generous sips of blood, while she continued to watch him as he move around her kitchen with grace , then standing behind the stove in deep concentration, a familiar stance he took whenever he prepared something for her. He must have felt her intense stare, because he looked up at her and smiled.

_Good Lord, this man is even more beautiful when he smiles! _

"What is it?" he asked.

"Reason tells me there's no way you can be real," she replied.

"All things considered, when it comes to us, you never want to listen to reason," he said, his smile widening, before he went back to making breakfast.

Elena shook her head. The details of Damon's return remained a mystery. No one else knew of his presence aside from her. No one else could see him but her. No one else could hear him but her. Most importantly, nobody else could feel him except her. She was thankful for that last part. She wouldn't want to share Damon's body with anyone else. Not after everything he had made her feel over the past 10 days.

She has yet to see Damon stop moving. He's always busy, tidying up, cooking her meal, helping her with her studies, pleasuring her body. She's not even sure if he's had any sleep or rest ever since he came back. Maybe he doesn't require it. Still, she wonders where he gets the energy, since he's not exactly been feeding on any kind of blood...human, animal or otherwise. He hasn't even bit her, or consumed a blood bag since he came back. In all aspects, he was a spirit...a ghost. But how how can he be a ghost if the Other Side has been destroyed?

"Earth to Elena..." Damon interrupted her thoughts.

"Huh?" she mumbled.

"What did you want in your omelette?" he asked.

"Surprise me," she replied.

"This is going to take a while. Why don't you go take a shower and get ready, while I finish making your breakfast?" he suggested.

"You sure you don't wanna join me?" Elena asked teasingly.

"I'd be more than happy to, except I can't promise you that we'd be done soon enough for you to make it to your first class on time," Damon replied with his usual sexy smirk.

"Don't threaten me with a good time, Damon Salvatore," she said, before turning around, swaying her hips seductively. "Ouch!" she exclaimed, when she felt Damon playfully smack her ass.

"Hurry up, before I change my mind!" Damon told her.

* * *

With vampire speed, she took a quick shower, got dressed, put on very little makeup, and was back in the kitchen with Damon in no time. She looked at him from time to time, as he lovingly stared at her while she ate. When she was done eating. he wipe the corners of her lips with the pad of his thumb, which she then captures and playfully suck into her mouth.

"Mmmm...don't start anything you can't finish, Elena," Damon warned her.

"Who says anything about not finishing? I'm telling you, right about now, you'd look pretty good laying in that kitchen counter while I ride your body," Elena teased.

"College...classes...any of these ring a bell?" Damon reminded her.

"I'd be quick, I promise..." Elena whined, leaving seductive kisses on his neck

"Tonight," he replied.

"Last chance..."she insisted, before slinging her book bag onto her shoulder.

She constantly regretted the fact that she needed to leave Damon behind whenever she goes to college. His movement is limited to just the inside of Elena's dorm room. He could never step out. Or at least, she's never seen him try.

"Believe me, nothing would delight me more than throwing you back in bed and having my wicked way with you, but unfortunately, you have classes today," Damon reminded her.

"I can just blow 'em off," she suggested.

"Mnmm hmmm...what about your exams?" he pointed out.

"Is it totally weird that you're the adult one in this conversation right now?" Elena scoffed at him.

"Just a little. Don't worry. I'll be here when you get back." he promised.

"You better be," she replied, before placing a kiss into his lips. "Ugh! I wish I could take you with me wherever I go. This would make my days more interesting, instead of being stuck in long, boring lectures," she complained.

"Think of it this way...being stuck in long boring lectures all day makes you more excited to come home to me, where I am more than ready, willing and able to work the frustrations out of you. What's that expression? 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder.'" he said.

"No, thank you. I believe I've missed you more than enough over the past few months that you were gone," she recalled.

"Well, I'm back now. And I will never leave you again." he promised, then gave her a quick peck on the lips, before turning her towards the door. "I put an extra blood bag in your backpack for lunch. Do well on your exams, and I'll reward you tonight in bed."

Elena turned back to face him again, and stole another quick kiss. "I'll hold you to that!" she told him, before running out of the dorm room.

* * *

Damon paced around Elena's dorm. He was running out of things to do. And with his movements limited to just being inside the room, he was really getting bored. There was nothing good on television. Elena's book collection didn't interest him. He really missed his library back at the Boarding House.

He was tired of normal and mundane. He needed to do something else. Like look for answers as to how he came back. Or what happened to Bonnie Bennett after they were both engulfed with the light. He was losing his patience trying to get those memories back, and his frustration wasn't improving his attitude. He was going stir-crazy.

_I need to get out of here! _Damon told himself, as he stopped his pacing.

He walked towards the door, his hand reached for the knob, then twisted it to open the door. He tested his limits, initially just holding out his hands, then stepped one foot out and then back in.

_So far, so good..._

He stepped the other foot out, and then half of his body.

_Here goes nothing..._

He quickly to a step outside of Elena's dorm room and...nothing happened. He laughed and moved around, going back inside and stepping outside again, just to make sure it was all good. When he was certain that nothing bad was going to happen to him, he locked the door behind him, and then began to walk away.

*Elena was in deep concentration, as she read the problem over and over inside her head, trying to make sense of it all.

_Math problems suck! _

She hated math, and if College Algebra wasn't a requirement for her major, she would have avoided it like the plague. All of a sudden, she heard a familiar voice beside her whispering her name. She smiled when she looked up to see Damon on the seat to her left.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a soft voice.

"At the moment? Helping you with your Math exam," he answered, then peeked over her shoulders to read the test paper. "Let's see...

_'Solve : (x – 6) / 4 = (x + 5) / 5_

_a. 50_

_b. 35/9_

_c. 2/3_

_d. -79/5_

_e. None of the above'_

The answer is **a**. 50," Damon told her.

"Are you sure?" Elena whispered.

"Yes. Now give me something more difficult," Damon said.

"Okay..." Elena said, proceeding to the next test problem.

"_'Solve : ( 10x / x + 10 ) - 1 = 0_

_a. 9/10_

_b. -10/9_

_c. 10/9_

_d. 1/9_

_e. None of the above' _?"

"The answer is **c**. 10/9, " Damon replied. "Keep 'em coming!"

"Alright..." Elena then read the next question to him.

"_'Solve 4[7 - (3x - 8)] + 8x = 0. _

_a. -83/18_

_b. 15_

_c. 11/20_

_d. -143/62_

_e. None of the above'_ ?"

"The answer is **b.** 15," Damon said with certainty.

Elena tossed every test problems at Damon, and he answered them all nonchalantly, practically bored of the questions. After they were done with the test, Elena submitted her test papers to her Math professor, and then walked out of the classroom with Damon.

"Oh my God...I can't believe I just cheated on a Math exam...with you!" Elena exclaimed softly once they were outside, away from prying eyes.

"Cheating is such a dirty word. Can't we just say that we tackled the problems as a team, then came up with the solution together?" Damon asked.

"Uh...in an exam, that's considered cheating," she told him.

"Oh well...potato, potahto..." Damon replied.

"How did you even know the answers to the exam?" Elena pressed.

"Elena...life has been long and boring until I met you," Damon answered. "Well?" he did a little quick turn around. "Aren't you going to ask?"

"What?" she wondered.

"I'm out. I'm not limited to the dorm room anymore," he said.

"That doesn't surprise me at all. You can do anything, as long as you put your mind into it," Elena told him.

Damon smirked, then pressed a kiss into her cheek. "So...where are we off to next?" he asked her.

"I'm off to the Bio lab," she answered.

"Ugh, I think I'll skip that one, thank you very much," he said sarcastically. "I've spent more than enough time inside the laboratories in this place."

"Where are you going?" Elena asked curiously.

"I don't know...hang out at the library, maybe bug the librarian by rearranging the order of the books. Sneak inside the ladies room and flirt with the college girls who can't see me," Damon joked.

"Okay, have fun!' Elena replied with a chuckled.

"I'll see you later, baby," Damon said, then gave her a quick kiss and walked away, leaving Elena standing there, shaking her head, before she went to her next class.

* * *

Damon roamed around the campus, casually observing the students walking to their classes, some them having a meal or reading books under the shade of the trees. All things considered, Whitmore looked like any other normal institute of higher learning. If you didn't know their history, that is. He knew better though. This was an institution he had come to hate a long time ago, considering the family it was named after, and what they stood for.

He huffed in frustration, finally admitting to himself that his search that day for a witch was a bust. The Occult Studies classroom was filled with posers and wannabes, none of them had any real magic that could help him find the answers he seek. He would've had better luck if the college offered any Potions courses, or the Defense in Dark Arts. Surely, he'd find witches in those classes. He sighed frustratedly as he sat down on the grass.

He looked up once he heard a familiar voice. He saw Alaric with a female friend, he remembered her as one of Elena's professors before she switched her major. She and Ric were walking at the quad, side by side, chatting with each other. With his vampire hearing gone, Damon couldn't hear what they were talking about. Ric seemed like he was telling a story, and then the lady professor laughed.

"Look at you, buddy. Getting your flirt on, " Damon rooted for his friend, as he watched Ric brushed a strand of hair off the lady's face. "Good for you, Ric. Good for you..." he said as he watched them disappear inside one of the buildings, which Damon remembered as the college auditorium.

He was about to follow them, when he recognized a car that was parked in front of the building. He'd know that car anywhere. That car was his other baby. His reliable companion for decades in his journeys, then later on, a constant accomplice during his road trips with Elena. He strained to see who was inside his Camaro, and was surprised to see Stefan at the driver's seat.

If Damon was surprised to see Stefan driving his car, nothing could have prepared him for the shock he felt once he saw the passenger who just climbed inside. Caroline tossed her purse at the back seat, and then immediately connected her lips with Stefan's, practically crawling onto his lap.

"UGH! Ewww...seriously, Stef? Vampire Barbie? Come on!" Damon cringed as he watched the scene before him. "Get a room!" he told them, even though he knew that they couldn't hear him. "You better not be doing the nasty in my car!" He was relieved when Stefan finally pulled away from Caroline, then started the ignition, and slowly drove away.

He then looked at the clock tower. Elena's class ended about 20 minutes ago. "Right...time to find my baby," he whispered.

* * *

Elena let her eyes roam around, in search of Damon. She forgot to tell him where to meet her, not like it would matter. He always seems to know where to find her. Except she didn't inform him about the student assembly after class. There she was, inside Whitmore's King Auditorium, as she found a seat at the back, where no one would bother her. She was mainly there for Ric, and she planned on being out of there as soon as Ric's segment was done.

Elena looked past the students and some faculty members in the rows before her, staring curiously at the other people on stage with Ric. "Who are all these people?" she wondered.

"These are the people in your neighborhood...in your neighborhood...in your neighborhood...They're people that you meet each day." Damon sang, after suddenly appearing beside her. "What?" he asked when he noticed Elena staring at him incredulously. "You've never watched 'Sesame Street'? You don't know the songs?"

"Oh, I grew up on Sesame Street...I'm just surprised that you even know songs from Sesame Street," she replied with a soft laugh.

"Life has been long and boring until I met you, Elena Gilbert," Damon told her, before kissing her on the cheek, and then made himself comfortable in the seat next to her.

Elena continued to stare at Damon, who wouldn't return her gaze. His mind seems to be off some place else. "Damon?"

"Hmmm..." he replied distractedly.

"You okay?" Elena asked. "You seem troubled."

"I am trouble," Damon quipped.

"Come on...talk to me," she urged him.

"Nothing...it's just...I saw Stefan earlier. In my car. With Caroline," he grumbled.

"Oh..." Elena muttered. "Yeah...I kinda blocked that out. Apparently, their together now."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that one out when I saw Vampire Barbie shoving her tongue down my baby brother's throat," he said sarcastically.

"Does it bother you?" Elena asked him.

"No..." Damon answer. And it didn't bother him, as long as he doesn't think of them sullying his Camaro with their vampire car sex romp, he was fine with their relationship. "Does it bother you?" he asked Elena with uncertainty in his voice.

"No," Elena replied. She reached for him, gently caressing his face. "I love you, Damon. I'll keep reminding you of that until every doubt inside your head is erased," she reassured him. "As for Stefan, if it makes him happy to be with Caroline, then it can't be that bad."

Damon nodded his head and then kissed her palm. "Yeah...Stef seems to be happy with her. First time in ages that I haven't seen him with furrowed eyebrows," he agreed.

"He grieved for you, you know? He really took it hard when you died," she informed him. "Caroline helped him a lot to stay in control."

"Who would've thought?" Damon snorted. "Barbie was yours and Stefan's biggest cheerleader. I never imagined in wildest dreams that she would be the first one to finally accept that the age of Stelena is over, much less, that she she would stake her claim on him."

"Stelena?" Elena laughed. "You really called us that in the past?"

"Not out loud," Damon admitted.

"I guess that makes us Delena," she said teasingly.

"Delena. Now, THAT sounds a lot better," Damon smiled. "Stelena sounds like a disease."

To that, Elena laughed loud and hard that she started to draw attention from people. She was saved from having to explain herself, when someone stepped up to the microphone, greeting everyone in attendance.

"Shhh...they're about to start," she silenced Damon.

The assembly was the Whitmore President's Annual State of the College address. It was a two-hour Town Hall Meeting hosted by Whitmore College President, Dr. Gloria Burkhardt Mayfield, who was now on stage after being introduced. Part of her speech was to present updated information and recent achievements of the college, as well as their future plans, and the introduction of the new administrators and faculty members.

Damon grew uneasy when Dr. Mayfield announced the new head of campus security, Angelo Contini, knowing fully well what had happened to Dianne Freeman, the woman who formerly held that position.

_She got what she deserve. She was part of the Augustine society. _Damon defended his actions repeatedly inside his head.

Elena clapped the loudest, when the president announced Alaric J. Saltzman as the new Professor of History. Damon whistled loudly to cheer him on, which no one else heard except Elena, when Ric made a short speech to introduce himself to the students.

After Ric, the president introduced Dr. Josephine Hamilton, which Damon recognized as the woman Ric was with earlier. He scoffed when he learned that she was taking over Dr. Wesley Maxfield as Professor of Microbiology. Dr. Hamilton also happened to be an attending physician at Whitmore Medical Center. He watched as Ric stared admiringly at the lady doctor while she made her speech.

"Looks like Alaric's hot for teacher," Damon whispered to Elena.

"You think so?" Elena whispered back to him.

"Yep. We might need to keep an eye on her. Let's hope she's not a psycho," Damon said.

"She's alright. She can be hard-ass during class, but other than that, she's cool," Elena told him.

"She's replacing Dr. Creepy Ken Doll...there's a huge chance she might be in charge of the experiments he left behind too. That makes me suspicious of her," Damon explained. "I just don't wanna have to repeat history of killing my best friend's girl, and all that."

Elena laced her hand with his, and gave it a light squeeze. "Hey...you okay?" she asked him, worried of what was going through inside his head, that he might be reliving his past with Enzo and Maggie.

Just then Dr. Mayfield introduced the Albemarle County Fire Marshal, Clarke Swanson, who was there to talk about the safety guidelines for the Whitmore College Annual Bonfire, as well as the maximum occupancy limit of party goers for the college annual Halloween Party, The Freakers Ball.

"No," Damon replied, shaking his head. "You know what would make me feel okay?" he asked in a more hopeful tone. "Is if we could get out of here now. I seem to remember that I promised you a reward."

"Let's stay for a bit. They're talking about the Annual Halloween Party," she said to him, her thoughts flashing back to the first time she went to Whitmore with Damon and Bonnie.

"Nope...they're talking about what you CAN'T do at a party. There's a distinction." he pointed out. He held on to her hand tighter and leaned closer to her. "Let's go. Let me remind you what a good time feels like," he whispered into her ear seductively, before yanking her up from her seat, and towing her out of the auditorium in a hurry.

They ran out into the hallway, with Damon pulling Elena right behind him. Frustrated that he couldn't vamp-speed the two of them back to her dorm, he looked for a good spot instead. He settled for the darkest corner at the end of the hall. Without any word, he pushed Elena into the the nearest wall, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"Damon..." Elena began to protest.

"Shhh..." Damon silenced her commandingly, before pressing his lips into hers in a demanding kiss.

She closed her eyes and gasped, when she felt his hand grazing her thigh when he hiked up the hem of her dress. He used his other hand to grab the back of her neck, tilting her head to deepen their kiss. No longer concerned if other people heard her, she moaned into his delicious mouth, when she felt his hand reached in between her thighs in search of her underwear.

She whined in anticipation when Damon swept her panties to the side, seeking the moist folds that would lead him to her core. Without warning, he inserted a finger inside her, keeping a steady pace, while he continued to kiss her. He plunged another finger, and then a third one, twisting and curling his digits deeper into her core, his rhythm now fast-paced, while the pad of his thumb relentlessly drew circles into her clit.

She would be screaming his name over and over like a mantra, if only her tongue wasn't too busy doing battle for domination with Damon's tongue. Finally, her body gave out, and she cried out when she climaxed. Her wetness gushed out,as she spasms around Damon's fingers.

When he pulled away slightly to stare at her, she noticed the proud smirk on his face. He brought his fingers to his mouth, licking and tasting her juices. This action, matched with the intense desire in his gorgeous blue eyes, was the most erotic thing she has ever seen, arousing another miniature climax out of her. Only Damon could make her orgasm with his eyes. She was about to devour him, when she heard her name being called.

"Elena?" the familiar voice called out.

Still in a haze, hse immediately fixed herself, rearranging her dress and underwear, glaring intensely at Damon, who had the 'cat-that-ate-the-canary' look on his face.

"Elena?" the voice called again. "There you are," Ric said once he found her. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. "I saw you running out of the auditorium."

Elena cleared her throat before she spoke. "Yeah. I'm fine," she replied, her voice still a little shaky. "I just just needed some air." _STUPID! _She wanted to smack herself on the forehead, but it was tough to even string a few words together, much less come up with a coherent excuse, after the pleasure that Damon just gave her.

Ric looked at her suspiciously. "You need anything?" he asked again.

"No...I'm okay. I'm alright. I'm good," she said, nodding her head vigorously.

"You coming inside?" Ric pressed.

"That's alright, buddy. Appreciate the offer, but she just CAME outside," Damon joked, which thankfully, Ric couldn't hear.

Elena nervously swiped her palm to her mouth before she replied. "No, I think I'll be heading back to the dorm," she answered, resisting the urge to smack Damon.

"Alright." Ric said. "The meeting's almost done anyway," he added, before turning around and heading back inside the room.

"See you later," Elena called out. Once she was completely sure that he was gone, she turned her attention back to Damon. "He probably thinks I'm crazy," she told him.

"Nope...actually, he probably thinks you're horny," Damon replied with a smug smirk on his face.

"What? How?" she asked confusedly.

Damon leaned closer. "He can smell your scent, baby," he replied.

Elena thought for for a while, then her eyes widened, horrified at the realization. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "Okay, Damon...new rule! No sex unless we're at home!" she told him.

"But I am home," Damon said. "You're my home," He tried to appease her by placing soft kisses on her forehead, her cheeks, her nose and then her lips.

"Nice save, Lover boy," she replied, as she leaned into his kisses.

Damon was about to continue making out with her, when he got distracted by a figure who just stepped out of the auditorium, headed for the parking lot. Elena noticed his distraction, and followed his gaze. Nervously, she caressed his face to turn his attention back to her, only to have him look away again.

"Is that her? Your new witch?" Damon asked, slowly walking away.

"Where are you going?" Elena grabbed his wrist to pull him back to her.

"Following her," Damon replied. "Elena, she's may be our only chance to find some answers."

"No, Damon...didn't we agree about not looking a gift horse in the mouth?" she reminded him.

"Relax, we're just going to ask her a few questions" "Well...YOU are gonna have to be the one to do the asking, obviously," Damon told her.

"Damon..." she whined.

"Come on, let's go!" Damon said, as he pulled her with him to follow Lirio.

* * *

**~END OF CHAPTER TEN~**

* * *

**A/N** :

*There you go...Domestic Delena, College Delena, Kinky Delena, lots of Delena in this one. With a side bonus of Steroline and a little bit of Alaric. Like I said, this chapter was a massive one compared to the previous chapters. I hope that's alright with you guys.

*Out of curiosity, of all the stuff mentioned in this chapter, what is the oddest thing that you've notice about Damon? There's no right or wrong answer, I'm just curious.

*I am in no way, shape, or form, an expert at College Algebra, but in my head, Damon is. He strikes me as the type of man who is a closeted book nerd, and street smart at the same time.

*"People In Your Neighborhood" is a song from the children's tv show, Sesame Street. I don't know why, but I wanted Damon to sing a kids song to Elena, because only she gets to see the playful side of him.

*Next chapter, Elena asks for Lirio's assistance...will she help her? Also, you'll find out what happened to Bonnie...MAYBE. Any theories?

*Thanks for reading this chapter. If you enjoyed it, please let me know by hitting the REVIEW button.


	11. Love In An Elevator

**A/N** : Guess who's back...back again? Jade is back...tell your friends! Many thanks to all of you who haven't given up on this story. Your reviews, follows and faves are very much appreciated. I sort of lost my way while writing this fic. Certain aspects just got away from me, and that was kinda discouraging. But your words of support and encouragement gave me that push to continue. And to those who were disappointed with this storyline, well...I can only do my best to write this story. It saddens me that the fic isn't going to the direction that you want, but I won't apologize for writing it the way I envision it to be. And I appreciate the PM's, I really do, but I would love it more if you'd give constructive criticisms too, and not just tell me how much you hate this story. Hopefully, by continuing this fic, I'd have a chance to win you over. Again, I appreciate every reader and all of the reviews. My deepest and sincerest gratitude to all of you, both fans and critics.

* * *

**CHAPTER ELEVEN – Love In An Elevator**

* * *

Deafening silence filled the elevator as Damon and Elena went on their way to Lirio's dorm room. Damon couldn't stand the quietness of such a small space they were in, so he finally spoke to break the silence.

"So, all this time, the witch was a few floors below us, and you never said anything?" he asked Elena.

Elena continued to give him the silent treatment, as she stared at a blank spot on the wall of the elevator.

"Oh, come on," Damon sighed. "You're still not speaking to me?"

"Hmph," Elena scoffed, before turning her head away.

"Elena," Damon said in a tone he knew she couldn't resist. "Baby, please...tell me what's wrong?"

"Oh, I'm sorry...so, all of a sudden, I'm allowed to speak?" Elena retorted.

"I never said that you couldn't," Damon replied exasperated, pushing the button to stop the elevator.

"What good would it do speaking to you if you're not going to listen to me?" Elena asked, trying to contain her annoyance. She pushed for the elevator to continue.

"Elena...we need-" Damon said before she cut him off.

"YOU need answers, Damon," Elena snapped. "I'm perfectly okay with things the way they are."

"So...let me get this straight," Damon said calmly. He pushed for the elevator to stop again. "You're not even the least bit curious about what happened to me? Or to Bonnie? Or how I was able to come back?"

"Don't you understand, Damon?" Elena frustratedly asked. "You died. The Other Side collapsed. You're not supposed to exist, and yet, here you are! Not even Bonnie, who just happens to be the most powerful witch that I know, had managed to come back from that...and she was a Bennett witch, not to mention the anchor to The Other Side! All spirit magic is lost. You think that the witches are happy with that? You think that they'd be happy to know that you escaped oblivion while one of their own was lost? What if once they find out about your return, they take you away from me again, huh? I don't think I can survive losing you again," she started to cry.

Damon took her into his arms to comfort her. "Shhh, baby," he tried to appease her. "Elena, do you remember my promise to you?"

"That you will never leave me? That you will find your way back to me?" Elena answered, while Damon wiped her tears away.

"And?" Damon urged her to continue.

"And you made good on your promise," Elena responded.

"But before all that, I made another one..." Damon reminded her. "I told you that I will always choose you. Elena, I need to know if what we have right now is permanent, or if it's just temporary. I need to know if there's a way to be with you that includes ALL of me...not just the part of me that only you can see. I need to exist, FULLY. I need to be more tangible. I can't protect you or defend you if I'm like this."

"I don't need to be protected, Damon! Not anymore," Elena protested.

"You don't need to be protected for NOW. But knowing you...well, danger pretty much knows where you live," Damon chuckled lightly, before his face turn serious again. "And I won't be able to forgive myself if anything bad happens to you because I'm useless to do anything about it. If there's a way to be with you again, just the same as it was before, I have to at least try. And it's not about me wanting to be a vampire again. This is me, wanting to be the best I can be...all for you. And I'm not going to apologize for that."

"You already are, Damon. You already give me the best of you, and much more. You really believe that anyone else can love me the way that you do?' Elena asked.

"Baby, no one in the universe will ever love you the way that I do," Damon replied, his face twisting in a smirk. "And with that love includes a great desire to protect you...and to find hilarity in the lengths I go to just to save your life," he chuckled.

Elena lightly smacked him in the chest. "Fine...we'll go and see Lirio," she scoffed, before continuing. "But I meant what I said before. If this is the only way I can have you in my life, I'll take it. Because I love you, no matter what. The same way you love me...with all of our flaws, the annoying little brothers and whatever the hell the universe has in store. And I won't let anyone get in the way of our love...not the spirits, not the witches, not the Universe...not even YOU."

"Me? What do you mean ME?" Damon asked, his eyebrows raised.

"I'm talking about the bumps...and you believing that our love is toxic..." Elena replied, holding on to Damon.

"Elena...you can't just ignore the fact that I'm bad for you-" Damon told her, before the silenced him with her fingers on his lips."

"Shhh...I don't want to fight WITH you. I want to fight FOR you," Elena said to him. "Don't you get it? We've wasted so much time. I've wasted so much time, fighting my feelings for you, instead of fighting for our love. This is me...fighting for you...for us. I'm not giving you up that easily. Because this...US...we're stronger TOGETHER. Let's face it...you won't last a day without me. And I can't survive without you. I tried Damon, I really did. But I was all kinds of messed up when I lost you. Still, I refuse to believe that we're toxic for each other. There's no way in the world that you're bad for me. How can that be...when the only time I feel complete is when I'm with you?" Elena confessed, honestly and heartfelt.

Damon wrapped his arms around her waist, before placing a kiss on the side of her neck. "And I feel the same way about you. You complete me, Elena Gilbert," he sighed, taking all her essence in.

"So promise me that you won't let anything keep us apart," Elena demanded.

"I promise that I will do everything in my power not to be separated from you," Damon swore.

"I love you, Damon. Please...don't ever leave me again," Elena pleaded.

"Baby, no matter what happens, I will never be too far away from you," Damon tried to appease her.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it," Elena said with frustration.

Damon tilted her chin up to look into her eyes. "Elena, I can't predict what the future hold for us. Not when the Universe seems to be against us all the freakin' time. But I promise to fight for you with all of my strength." Damon pressed a kiss to her lips. "We'll survive this. We always survive," he reminded her, his face with a radiant smile. "So to speak."

"I love you...all of you," Elena declared whole-heartedly, staring deeper into his eyes to make sure that he fully understood. "The worst of you...the best of you...all of you, Damon. I'll stand by your side...even if I'm the only one. I'll be your strength, as you'll be mine. I can take all the madness the Universe throws at me, as long as I have you."

Damon chuckled lightly. "You and me against the world," he said, caressing her face. "Beware, Universe...Team Delena is a force to be reckoned with!"

Elena laughed out loud after hearing that. She tugged on Damon's hand and braced herself. "You ready for this?" she asked, before pushing the button again for the elevator to continue.

"As I'll ever be," Damon answered. They finally arrived at Lirio's floor. Damon tightened his grip on Elena's hand, as they stepped out of the elevator and walked towards Lirio's dorm room. Elena gave him a reassuring smile, before knocking on the door.

They didn't have to wait long before the door opened. "Elena?" Lirio said, looking at her curiously.

"We need to talk," Elena told the young witch.

"Of course," Lirio answered. "Come in," she said, as she stepped aside to let Elena inside her dorm room.

Damon watched as Elena entered the room. He set one foot past the threshold, testing if he's allowed to enter without being invited in. He didn't feel any adverse reaction, so he stepped inside the witch's dorm and hoped for the best.

"Here goes nothing," Damon whispered hopefully.

* * *

**~END OF CHAPTER ELEVEN~**

* * *

**A/N** :

*Short and disappointing update, I know. I'm still getting my bearings back. But I hope you enjoy it. Happy TVD Thursday! /chants loudly/ DELENA! DELENA! DELENA!

*If you're on MEDIUM, follow me on my writer's account (full link is on my profile here). Even if you're not on MEDIUM, just bookmark my page. I usually post photos/songs/videos related to my stories on my page. It's like an interactive companion piece for my fics.

*In case you missed it, I also have other TVD fanfics that I've been working on recently, "Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore", "Falling Away From Me", and "What Hurts The Most". If you have time, please do check them out and let me know how you like them.

*Again, many thanks to all of my readers. Let me know if you enjoyed this chapter by clicking the REVIEW button.


	12. Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam

**A/N** : TVD 6x02! Grrr! Damn, what Ric and Elena did made me so angry! Seriously...how can I be inspired to write anything after that? Argh! You still with me? Good. Thanks! =)

* * *

**CHAPTER TWELVE – Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam**

* * *

Elena warily watched Lirio while the young witch sat at the dining room table, her eyes closed, whispering incantations under her breath. She had just finished telling the witch about her 'Damon situation', and was now waiting for Lirio to come up with answers. Out of the corner or her eye, Elena saw Damon moving about in the living room, inspecting every nook and cranny of the place. He has now moved on to the shelves, examining every single book.

"Psst..." Elena softly tried to get Damon attention, careful not to disturb Lirio's chanting.

Damon looked up to meet her gaze. "What?" he whispered.

"What are you doing?" Elena mouthed to him.

Damon was by her side in a blink of an eye. "Snooping," he answered. He tapped his index finger on her nose and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Keep Hermione occupied," he told Elena, tilting his head to the still-chanting Lirio, before flashing back into the living room.

Lirio interrupted her chanting and looked at Elena with one eye open. "You say something?" she asked Elena.

"Oh...I was just wondering what you're doing," Elena covered.

"I'm sanctifying the room," Lirio replied, before she closed her eyes and whispered incantations again.

Damon let out a low whistle as he continued to inspect the contents of the shelves. "Necronomicon...Grimoire of Dark Arts...Book of the Dead? Whoa, this chick is hardcore!"

"First of all, put those back! Second, you did NOT just pay a witch a compliment," Elena teased him softly, keeping her voice within supernatural hearing range.

"I was complimenting her choice of reading material. There's a distinction," Damon corrected her.

"Mmmhmm...whatever you say," Elena told him teasingly.

Lirio opened her eyes and gave Elena a look. "Shhh!"

"Yeah, Elena...Shhh!" Damon laughed softly, before he continued to explore Lirio's dorm room.

Elena raised an eyebrow when Lirio burned some sage incense, allowing the scent to waft into the room. It caught her by surprise when the witch threw a handful of salt into a lighted candle, and it ignited in the air.

"What was that?" Elena asked, as she coughed from the smell of burnt salt.

"Ensuring our privacy," Lirio answered. "Whatever you reveal in this room, stays in this room," she explained. "Now...let's talk."

"I already told you-" Elena protested.

"You seem to be convinced that this...entity is Damon," Lirio said tentatively. "Are you sure that this isn't just some sort of delusion brought on by stress?"

"You think I'm having a psychotic break?" Elena asked incredulously.

"Elena," Lirio sighed. "You told me what happened. You lost your childhood best friend, and the man you wanted to spend the rest of your eternity with, all in just one night. No one's going to judge you if you choose to grieve like this..." she took Elena's hand in hers. "...But there are other ways...healthier methods of mourning loss."

"No," Elena refused vehemently.

"Elena, I can help-" Lirio tried to insist.

"You're NOT listening! I said no!" Elena told her. "I can't just store all my memories of him inside a box and put them away. I can't just forget my love for him, with hopes that time erases everything. I refuse to live for all eternity, having this great big hole in my heart...and all the pain that fills it," she looked over at Damon's position, wondering if he could hear every word she said. He seemed to be preoccupied with other things. She sighed and turned her attention back to Lirio. "You're wrong. It's Damon. And he's real to me. Now, are you going to help me?"

"You know I will," Lirio replied. "Just...help me help you, okay? Let's do this step by step. I need you to answer honestly. Have you been taking any hallucinogenics?" she asked.

Elena breathed through her nose and exhaled through her mouth, trying very hard to control her temper. "No," she answered honestly through gritted teeth. "I already told you...he's NOT a hallucination!"

"How can you be so sure?" Lirio pressed.

"I can see him. I can feel him. I have conversations with him-" Elena answered.

"Yes, but still-" Lirio interrupted her.

"He can move things, Lirio!" Elena informed her in an outburst. "I couldn't have imagined THAT!"

"He can move things? Like...really MOVE things?" Lirio tried to clarify.

"He moves things around my dorm," Elena told her. "He makes me breakfast, lunch and dinner. With REAL food, which I EAT. He tidies up my place."

"So...this only happens inside your dorm?" Lirio inquired.

"No...it started there..." Elena thought for a moment. "Actually, no...it all started in my dreams. I told you about my dreams," Elena continued when she saw Lirio nod. "Then, one day, I came home...and he was there. I was wide awake...and he was just there, inside my dorm room. Welcoming me home, as if he wasn't gone all this time. As if he never left..."

"And you know that it's really him...how?" Lirio asked again.

"I know his touch, okay?" Elena replied. "I know how his kisses feel...how his body makes love to me. I have all of him memorized."

"Wait...you said make love?" Lirio inquired.

"Yes...again, it all started as a dream," Elena revealed to her friend. "Every night since he died, I would dream of him. And then, he became real, but he couldn't touch me at first. But that soon changed. After that, he's been making love to me on every surface of my dorm room. But it didn't stop there. Earlier, we were fooling around at the auditorium. And I CAME, Lirio! I always come...he always makes me come. With his fingers...with his tongue...with his cock-"

"OKAY!" Lirio screamed, putting a halt in Elena's confession. She wiped the beads of sweat from her brow. "That was...fucking hot. Whoo!" she exclaimed. "But it still doesn't make any sense."

"Lirio, I'm telling you...he's-" Elena argued.

Lirio raised her hand and nodded. "He's real...I get it? The question is...how did this happen?" she asked, running her hands through her hair in frustration. "Elena...from what I've heard, when The Other Side collapsed, everyone in it either found peace and crossed over to Hereafter, or got sucked into the Void. As far as I know, there was no Door number 3."

"I know all that," Elena sighed. "I was hoping you can help give us answers."

Lirio rubbed her eyes with her palms. All of a sudden, she stood up from her seat. "I'm gonna go get Big Bertha," she announced.

"Big Bertha?" Elena asked curiously. "Is she like your mentor witch?" she inquired, as she watched Lirio disappear into her bedroom.

"Nope..." Lirio replied. The witch came back a few moments later, carrying a huge hardbound book about a foot and a half wide, two-feet tall, and half a foot thick. "Meet Big Bertha," she told Elena. "The oldest grimoire I have in my possession. It has entries that dates back to the early 13oo's."

Elena observed, as the young witch flipped through the pages filled with flowing calligraphy. "What are you looking for?" she asked curiously.

"A spell," Lirio answered. "A-ha! Found it!"

Lirio scrambled round the place, gathering material needed for the spell. She lit some more incense and candles, and placed crystals on all corners of the living room.

Lirio face Elena. "If he's real-"

"He IS real," Elena assured her.

"If he's here," Lirio rephrased. "...Then I'd be able to see him."

"Only I can see him," Elena reminded her.

"Not for long," Lirio said. With that, closed her eyes and began to chant. "Phasmatos Obscuras, Ex Luces Est Nes Umbres." She chanted three times, before she opened her eyes again. She let her eyes roam around the dorm room. "He's here, isn't he?"

"Yes," Elena replied. "He came here with me."

"Fuck," Lirio muttered under her breath, her eyes staring at the living room. "HOLY FUCK! Is that him?"

Elena followed her gaze, and sure enough, both their eyes fall onto Damon. "What do you see?" she asked Lirio, trying to be sure.

"Hot guy...beautiful face...chiseled features...raven black hair, tousled like he just got out of bed...eyes bluer than the ocean...body that looks like he's made by Mattel..." Lirio gasped as she watched Damon.

"Yep...that's Damon," Elena confirmed.

"Sweet Baby Jesus, he's gorgeous! DAMN!" Lirio exclaimed.

"Alright...let's keep the ogling to a minimum," Elena told her. "Lirio!" she snapped her fingers to get her attention. "Quit undressing MY boyfriend with your eyes!"

"Sorry, but he is HOT!" Lirio apologized without taking her eyes off of Damon. "I'm your friend, but I'm not dead. He...stirs up a lot of feelings..."

"Yeah...he has that kind of effect on women," Elena agreed.

"Okay...that's weird," Lirio said.

"What?" Elena asked.

"Why is your very hot undead dead boyfriend talking to my cat?" Lirio thought out loud.

Elena followed Lirio's gaze, and the young witch was right. It did appear as if Damon was speaking to Lua.

* * *

Damon leaned in, as he stared intently at the sleeping cat. He touched the tip of the cat's nose with his index finger, awaking the feline. Lua just glared at him grumpily.

"I'd know those judgy little eyes anywhere," Damon declared with his usual smirk. The cat angrily hissed at him. Damon suddenly clutched his head and screamed in pain. "Aghh!" he yelled, before crumpling to the floor, losing consciousness.

* * *

FLASHBACK...

* * *

"This way," Bonnie tugged on Damon's hand, urging him to follow her into dimly lit maze-like corridor.

"Where the hell are we?" Damon asked, once they've stopped in front of a ginormous door.

"Don't say HELL!" Bonnie chastised him.

"Well...I'm not in your heaven. So maybe, you're in my hell," Damon pointed out. "Unless of course, you think this is heaven."

"I don't know, alright?" Bonnie said in a whisper.

"Only one way to find out," Damon told her, tugging on her hand and leading the way this time. They opened the huge door and stepped inside, where they were met with a great big stair case. "That is a fuckton of steps!"

"Don't cuss when you're on the foot of the stairway to heaven..." Bonnie scolded him again. "...Or wherever the hell this leads to."

They both made their way to the top of the stairs, where they were greeted by twelve men...people...entities... dressed in flowing silver robes. They were all carrying big sticks, all except for one, who was carrying a rope. Their faces unseen because they were covered with the hoods of their robes. They were walking towards Damon and Bonnie, but suddenly stopped and moved to the sides, revealing a 13th entity, dressed in a golden robe, with a long staff on one hand, and a great big book on the other hand.

"Oh holy shit..." Damon muttered. "Please tell me that's not Jesus!"

"Seriously?" Bonnie scoffed at him. "After everything that you've done in your lifetimes, you're really still holding out hope that you'd meet Jesus someday?"

All of a sudden, the entities in flowing robes began to chant.

"Aghh!" Damon was brought to his knees in extreme pain.

Damon looked at the entities in front of them. "What are you doing?" she asked frantically. "Stop it! You're hurting him!"

"What are they doing to me, Bonnie?" Damon asked in between groans.

Bonnie listened intently as the entity in the golden robe spoke to her in a language that only she seemed to understand. "He's saying that you're not supposed to be here! He said the deal they made with my Grams only limits to me. You don't belong here."

"Just tell them that I'm your 'plus one'..." Damon managed to joke while in extreme pain.

"It's no use," Bonnie shook her head. "They're kicking you out!"

"What? To where?" Damon asked.

The entity in golden robes raised his staff, then slammed the pointy end to the ground.

Bonnie tried to reply to Damon. "I don't kno-"

Damon never got to hear the rest of her sentence. The ground gave out from under him, sending him flailing off to an unknown place. He screamed loudly as he was falling away.

"BONNIE!"

* * *

**~END OF CHAPTER TWELVE~**

* * *

**A/N** :

*If you follow my writing account on Twitter, you'd know my honest opinions about 6x03 based on my live-tweets. The episode made me so frustrated, I just wanted to kill everyone except for Bamon and Carenzo.

*The chapter title, "Jesus Doesn't Want Me For a Sunbeam", is a song covered by Nirvana back in 1994 (originally done by The Vaselines as "Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam", but I like the Nirvana version better), because if TVD can get away with having season 6 episode titles taken from popular 90's songs, then I can make it work on my story too. /insert smiley winky face emoji here/

*No, that wasn't Jesus...or was it?

*After watching TVD s6 eps 1 - 3 so far...I have to say, I have my own plans for Jo and Tripp's characters and their connections to Mystic Falls. And I hate Liam and the Blunder Twins to give them any importance. So I guess that's when licentia poetica kicks in.

*Many thanks to those of you who gave me your theories regarding Bonnie via reviews and PM. Only two got it it correct : **PoisonMistressX** and **sharpie78**. To everyone who participated, thank you for posting.

*Also, special thanks to _Taylor_ (you don't have an account, but I hope you know who you are), and to **Helene08** for religiously leaving such encouraging reviews, as well as all the guest/reviewers who keep posting for me to continue this fic, for reminding me that there are still readers who look forward to this story. I really, truly appreciate that push.

*In case you missed it, I also have other TVD fanfics that I've been working on recently, "Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore", "Falling Away From Me", and "What Hurts The Most". If you have time, please do check them out and let me know how you like them.

*Again, many thanks to all of my readers. Let me know if you enjoyed this chapter by clicking the REVIEW button.

*Follow me : on Twitter – atSectionEightENT ; or on Medium – mediumdotcom/atSectionEightENT


	13. Supernatural Superserious

**A/N** : I'm back! Pardon me for the slow updates. Recent episodes haven't been inspiring me to write any Delena moments. It doesn't help that I happen to be currently at war with Elena Gilbert's character. I swear to God, the writers are doing their damn best to make me hate her! Don't worry though...I have everything all mapped out for this story. It's just a matter of fleshing out the details. I have my own plot and a new 'big bad' coming SOON, all planned, along with a few occasional similarities to the S6 storyline.

* * *

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN – Supernatural Superserious**

* * *

It all happened so fast. One minute, Elena was watching as Damon seemed to be speaking with Lirio's cat, Lua. Next thing she knew, Damon was on the floor, clutching his head in extreme pain. She was quick on her feet and sped her way towards the living room.

"What's happening?" Elena asked Lirio frantically. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" Lirio denied, following Elena into the living room. They were about to approach Damon, when they were stopped by an invisible barrier.

Elena banged her fists on the the glass-like shield that separated her from Damon. She turned to Lirio. "Stop this, right now!"

"Elena, I swear...whoever is doing this, it isn't me!" Lirio told her.

Elena's panic grew when she noticed Damon started to convulse on the floor, as if having a seizure. "Please help him, Lirio!"

Lirio nodded at her, and started to run to retrieve Big Bertha. "I don't even know what I'm looking for!" she exclaimed, while flipping through the pages.

"Look up 'boundary counter-spells'!" Elena told her. "Hurry!" She turned her attention back to Damon. "Wake up! Please, wake up! Damon? Can you hear me?" She banged louder on the glass shield.

* * *

Damon began to stir, fluttering his eyes open. He saw Elena frantically pummeling her fists into the glass-like wall that seems to encase the whole living room of Lirio's dorm.

"I'm alright," Damon tried to reassure Elena.

"She can't hear you," said a familiar female voice from behind him. "We're both sealed in."

Damon whipped his head back to the cat laying on the sofa. "You? Did you do this?" he uttered with tone of distaste. "Let me out, Bonnie!"

"Not until we talk," Bonnie replied. "I assume you need answers?"

Damon tried to ignore her. He pressed his hand on the glass, directly where Elena's was. There, they stood in front of each other, palm to palm. He mouthed the words "I'm okay" to Elena, with hopes to calm her down. Elena nodded her head in understanding, and managed to give him a weak smile.

Damon reluctantly turned away from Elena to focus on Bonnie. "What the hell? How are you even doing this?"

"It doesn't matter," Bonnie replied. "Damon, I need you to think back. Do you remember where you went after The Other Side collapsed?" she asked him.

Damon nodded his head, then his eyes slammed shut as memories came flooding back. "There was a long passageway, with faceless men in long, hooded robes waiting at the end, carrying rope and big sticks." He suddenly opened his eyes again and stared at the cat. "You were there with me, Bonnie! What the hell was that place?"

Bonnie paused for a moment, as if filtering what she can and can't reveal to Damon. "That place is called 'The Cloister'," she finally answered. "...And those men in robes are 'The Powers'."

Bonnie's reply piqued Damon's interest. He sat on the floor and crossed his legs to get closer to her. "The Powers? What is that?" he asked curiously.

"They're the Founders of Magic," Bonnie informed him.

Damon furrowed his brows. "So what are they...The Original Coven?"

"Something like that, yes," Bonnie replied.

"Are they like the guardians of the gates of Heaven or something?" he questioned her again.

"More like Keepers of the Balance...Bearers of Conscience...Preservers of History...Authorities of Humanity-" Bonnie enumerated.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah...I get the gist," Damon raised his hand at her indicating he got the point. "They booted me out!" he reminded her of another memory from The Cloister.

"A place for everything, and everything in it's place," Bonnie told him. "You weren't in your place, Damon."

"What does that even mean?" Damon was getting annoyed.

"Grams only made that deal for one person...ME," Bonnie explained to him. "I was supposed to be there. I dragged you along with me when I took your hand."

"Whoa, hold on...a deal? That's just great! What deal?" Damon asked with obvious irritation.

"Grams said that she found peace, because she made sure that I find mine," Bonnie recalled. "She got me a second chance at life, Damon."

"THIRD chance, actually," Damon reminded her. "Remember my plan to use Silas' death to bring you back to life?"

"Who can forget? Your plan turned me into The Anchor," Bonnie retorted. "Which is partly the reason why we're in this predicament."

"You ungrateful little witch!" Damon scoffed. "At least my plan didn't result in you coming back as something that has to lick itself for a bath, and periodically yacking up a hairball or two," he cringed at the thought.

"I'm alive at least," Bonnie pointed out. "I will never be not grateful for that."

"So...your great REWARD is being demoted from witch to...Grumpy Cat?" Damon asked teasingly.

"Familiar...I'm a familiar, you half-wit!" Bonnie said with frustration.

"Excuse me!" Damon raised his hands in mock surrender. "I don't do witchy-speak!"

"It means that I'm in charge of guarding and guiding witches. I'm the one they assigned to Lirio's case." Bonnie explained to him.

"The newbie?" Damon tilted his head towards Lirio. "What's so special about her?"

"The Powers said that she is destined for greatness," Bonnie replied. "She has all that natural magic inside of her, and she needs to learn how to use it properly before she poses as a danger to others and herself."

"So...you're her protector?" Damon clarified.

"Yes," Bonnie sighed wearily. "Which is really hard, because, oh my God, this girl is like a calamity queen! I have to make sure that she doesn't die from choking on a peanut, or an exploding potion, or falling down a flight of stairs and breaking her neck. I'm so tired, I have to sleep like 16 hours a day to generate enough energy to keep up with her!" she complained. "But I have to do it, because it's my task. She's my responsibility."

Damon responded with a smirk. "I guess that answers the question of what happened to you. You're the Pyewacket to her Gillian...the Salem to her Sabrina...the-"

"The crow to her Damon?" Bonnie finished for him.

"Hey!" Damon protested. "That crow had a name...Diaval, he was called. He was my friend."

"You ate him," Bonnie pointed out.

"There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends," Damon reminded her. "But I'm sure you already knew that." He was about to say something else, but decided to remain silent. His brows furrowed, deep in thought.

"It's okay. You can ask me," Bonnie urged him to say what was on his mind.

"You died, and then came back to life as...Salem," Damon reviewed. "Bonnie...I'm still a spirit."

"Yes, you are," Bonnie replied.

"Spirits aren't supposed to exist in this world...not after The Other Side was destroyed," Damon reminded her.

"That would be correct," Bonnie affirmed.

"Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but how the hell am I still here?" Damon demanded answers.

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe, you're special too...just like Lirio?" Bonnie told him.

"Don't patronize me, Garfield," Damon said in a warning tone.

"The universe still has plans for you Damon," Bonnie answered with a sigh.

"To hell with the universe!" Damon exclaimed. "That doesn't answer my question, Bon-Bon. How the hell am I still here?"

"Think about it, Damon. Think long and hard," Bonnie urged him. "They kicked you out of The Cloister. What happened after that?"

"I don't know!" Damon shook his head in frustration. "One minute, I was being locked out of heaven...or wherever the hell 'The Cloister' is, Next thing I know, I was with Elena."

"You were with Elena...in what way?" Bonnie pressed.

Damon paused for a while to think, before answering Bonnie. "I came to her in her dreams. At first,after I returned, we always met inside her dreams."

"That's right, you did," Bonnie confirmed. "After you left The Cloister, you became a phantasm."

"A phantasm?" Damon repeated, needing clarification.

"It's a spirit possessing a body...like a traveler," Bonnie informed him. She saw the immediate panic in his eyes. "Don't worry...you don't take over her body. You only reside in her dreams."

"I'm a squatter inside her head! How am I not supposed to worry?" Damon asked exasperatedly.

"I can understand why you're upset, but I assure you, there's no need," Bonnie tried to calm him down.

Damon was silent for a moment, his hands scrubbing his face. Then he stared at Bonnie. "In case you failed to notice, I'm OUTSIDE of Elena's dreams now. Elena can see me. You can see me. Lirio can see me. Are phantasms supposed to do that?"

"No," Bonnie replied. "Phantasms are only supposed to exist inside their hosts dreams."

"Then how did I get out...acting all ghost-like?" Damon asked, all confused.

"You've evolved," Bonnie responded. "If you can move objects and cause other physical disturbances, that makes you a poltergeist."

"Really? How far can I channel this new ability? Because I have been dying to haul Elena's fridge out and clean behind that sucker..." Damon tried to make light of the situation.

"It depends on how much energy you can obtain from your host," Bonnie replied.

"Host..." Damon repeated. "That's the second time you used that word in this conversation." His face became serious again. "You make me sound like a parasite."

"In a way...you are," Bonnie revealed to him.

"Bonnie, I need you to tell me the truth," Damon urged her. "How did I get back to Elena?"

Bonnie paused to think, before she replied. "You two are bound to one another-"

"Bound?" Damon interrupted her. "That's just great! I swear, if you say 'sire bond', I'm going to-"

"Listen!" Bonnie hissed at him. "It's not the sire bond. What you two have is a whole lot deeper. Damon...your spirits are tethered to one another."

"Our spirits are tethered?" Damon scoffed disbelievingly. "Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?"

"You've heard of couples who have been together for several decades, only to die minutes apart from each other. That's because they literally can't live without their mate," Bonnie explained to him. "I consider it a miracle that Elena didn't die when you did."

"She almost did..." Damon whispered.

Bonnie nodded in understanding. "After they kicked you out of The Cloister...when your soul was lost, instead of drifting away into oblivion, you came back to the only place where you felt completely loved...completely safe...completely known. You returned to Elena."

Damon's thoughts reverted back to the words he uttered to Elena not too long ago.

_I'm not going to let someone else's idea of destiny stop me from loving you, or being with you, or building a future with you, because you are my life. _

Damon turned his attention back to Elena, who was now sitting on the floor, staring at him, her hands firmly pressed on the magical glass wall. "Am I hurting her?" he worriedly asked Bonnie. "Me, being here...does it put her in danger?"

"If she was still human, you'd be draining her life-force," Bonnie replied honestly. "But she's a supernatural being, Damon," she reminded him. "If anything, you being here with her only made her stronger."

"I don't know, Bonnie," Damon said frustratedly. "All of this...sounds too impossible."

"Love bends the rules of possible," Bonnie told him. "There's something about you Damon..."

"It really must be killing you that I still exist because of Elena's love for me," Damon scoffed. "Try not to faint from the shock."

"It's not just that," Bonnie denied. "I couldn't see it, back when I was alive. But now..." she shook her head. "You, Damon Salvatore, are SPECIAL."

"Is this the part where you tell me to stop eating the paste?" Damon retorted.

"Why is it so hard for you to believe?" Bonnie asked him. "We're all special, in very different ways. Lirio's destined to be a great witch someday. Stefan and Elena, they're the last remaining shadow selves of the very first immortal beings. I came from a long line of powerful witches. And you- "

"Just happens to be slowly sucking the life out of the woman I love," Damon finished the sentence for her.

"You're not listening," Bonnie hissed. "I need you to listen! It's not Elena that's making you special. You've been special long before she was even born!"

"Oh, come on!" Damon sneered. "It's not as if I'm a witch-"

"No...witches don't retain their powers once they become vampires," Bonnie reminded him. "You have certain abilities that aren't that common with most vampires. The dreamwalking-"

"Any vampire elder with a stomach full of AB-negative can do that," Damon said defensively.

"The crow?" Bonnie pressed.

"Klaus can turn into a wolf anytime he wants," Damon reminded her.

"Yes, but he can't control the wolves...not the way you control the crows," Bonnie pointed out. "And how about the fog?"

"It comes with age and practice," Damon answered.

"Do me a favor...give Elijah a call. Ask him if he can manipulate the fog the way you do," Bonnie challenged him. "I highly doubt that the answer would be yes."

"Is there a point to all of this?" Damon asked impatiently.

"There's a reason why you came back, Damon," Bonnie replied. "Think about it! The Other Side is destroyed. Everyone in it either found peace or got sucked into oblivion. Yet you're here amongst the living. Why is that? Everything happens for a reason. You have a purpose."

"My only purpose is to keep Elena happy," Damon told her.

"You're wrong," Bonnie contradicted him. "I'm sorry...but you're wrong."

"If you know something, then spill it," Damon demanded. "I'm not in the mood for games."

"You're a Savior, Damon...like your last name implies," Bonnie revealed to him.

"So are Giuseppe, and Zachariah, and Joseph, and Zach, and every single dead person from my ancestry," Damon ridiculed her statement. "And I don't see any of their spirits here with us."

"Like I said, you're special," Bonnie repeated.

"Why do I get the feeling that when you say 'SPECIAL', you don't mean it in a good way?" Damon asked suspiciously.

"You defied death, Damon...when you weren't supposed to," Bonnie reminded him. "You escaped what was supposed to be your unavoidable fate. You rewrote your own future. No one else has done that, not even the most powerful servants of nature. You're a resilient anomaly. You've been baffling the witches for ages. You've been on The Powers' radar for over a century. Nobody knows what you are exactly. Your very existence tipped the scale and created a disturbance in the laws of nature. And I think we both know by now that nature always finds a way to restore the balance."

"Yeah...that doesn't sound foreboding at all," Damon responded sarcastically. "Can we skip to the part where you tell me my role in whatever 'BIGGER' plan that the universe has in store for me?"

"I don't know what you mean," Bonnie tried to deny.

"Oh, puh-lease!" Damon sneered. "Don't insult my intelligence here, Bon Bon! You've been buttering me up...insisting that I'm SPECIAL...then saying that my existence is an anomaly...then telling me that nature needs balance. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together. You need ME for something hocus pocus-y!"

"You're right," Bonnie confirmed his suspicions.

"Here we go..." Damon muttered. "What is it?"

"What if I tell you that there's a way to bring magic back to Mystic Falls?" Bonnie asked him. "Magic was never supposed to leave our town, Damon."

"I'm listening," Damon urged her to continue.

"Certain witches and their covens took steps to preserve whatever spirit magic they had prior to the destruction of The Other Side," Bonnie began to explain. "The Bennett witches, both alive and dead, were no exception. All the spirit magic from the entire Bennett line were harvested, and placed inside a vessel to contain it. So when The Other Side disintegrated, all the Bennett ancestral magic was preserved."

"The entire Bennett line, collectively, are the most powerful witches in existence," Damon thought out loud. "Holy shit, Bonnie! That's a lot of magic! Might even be more than enough to overpower the magic of Markos and his entire coven of Travelers."

"You would be correct," Bonnie reaffirmed. "We'll need to unleash all that ancestral magic to undo the spell that keeps Mystic Falls magic-free." Bonnie noticed the hesitation in Damon's eyes. "I assume you still want to come home?"

"Elena is my home...in the truest sense of the word, apparently," Damon muttered softly.

"Don't you want her to be able to return to where she was born and raised?" Bonnie asked him.

"If that will make her happy, then yes," Damon replied.

"It's not just for Elena," Bonnie reminded him. "For Caroline...Tyler...Alaric...and Stefan..."

Damon slammed his eyes shut at the mention of Stefan's name. He glared at Bonnie for not playing fair. "Even if I do want this, I fail to see how I can make this happen."

"That's why I'm here. One of my tasks is to help Lirio restore magic back to Mystic Falls. But I can't do it alone," Bonnie told him.

"Just say it...you need MY help," Damon smirked.

"Yes, I do. Don't be an ass," Bonnie hissed at him.

"Fine. How do we do that?" Damon asked impatiently.

"A ritual needs to be performed," Bonnie informed him. "We need four witches to say the spell."

"Nice math work, Judgy," Damon said mockingly. "...But unless YOU, in all your Hello Kitty glory, count yourself as part of this equation, we only have ONE witch...and that's Willow over there." He tilted his head over to Lirio's direction, who was still busy chanting outside the glass wall.

"Yes, Lirio is a vital component for the ritual," Bonnie told him. "I'm sure Luke and Liv Parker would help if Elena asks them to."

"Hah! After they betrayed us the last time...you're STILL willing to trust the Blunder Twins?" Damon asked incredulously.

"They're blood," Bonnie tried to reason with him. "They did what they did to protect each other, as what families normally do. Just as you sacrificed yourself to bring your brother back from the dead. We all new the risks, Damon..."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Damon interrupted her. He waved his hand to urge her to continue. "Alright, but even if we have Lirio, Luke and Liv, that still only three witches. We'll need a fourth witch to complete this Magical Mystery Tour."

"Let me take care of that," Bonnie replied mysteriously.

"You're keeping secrets," Damon said suspiciously. "I don't like it."

"You're just going to have to trust me, Damon," Bonnie implored him.

"Fine. I won't pester you...for now," Damon told her. "I'm assuming that you know the location of the vessel where the Bennett line's ancestral magic is stored?"

"It is sealed inside a sacred site," Bonnie told him. "A holy ground for witches..."

"That abandoned cottage by the border of Mystic Falls?" Damon surmised. "The burial ground of the hundred witches?"

"Yes," Bonnie replied.

"You said it was sealed. How do we unseal it?" Damon asked her. "We'll need a celestial event..." he said, remembering what he learned from Emily Bennett.

Bonnie nodded her head. "We have to harness the power of the Blood Moon, which happens to fall on a Sabbat this year."

"Sabbat?" Damon asked with confusion. "Again...not fluent on Witchy."

"Think of it as a Witch's holiday," Bonnie informed him. "Anyway, this year, the Blood Moon happens to fall on the night of Samhain, the most magical night of the year."

"Samhain...you mean Halloween?" Damon asked for clarification. "Nah-uh, Mistoffelees. No can do. I got plans that night."

"Well...you'll have to reschedule then," Bonnie demanded. "Because you have a huge role to play in this ritual."

"Huh...okaaay," Damon said doubtfully. "Tell me, oh Wise One. What's my part in all of this?"

"We'll get to that..." Bonnie refused to tell him yet.

"Fine. What else do we need?" Damon asked.

"We need the blood of the last two doppelgangers to reverse the spell cast by The Travelers," Bonnie answered.

"I'd really rather not get Elena and Stefan involved in any of this," Damon said reluctantly.

"They already are involved. It was with their blood that the spell was created from in the first place," Bonnie reminded him.

"Keep going," Damon urged her.

"This is where it gets complicated," Bonnie said tentatively.

Damon's eyes widened. "You mean it wasn't complicated enough for you before?" he asked incredulously.

Bonnie ignored his mocking glare. "We need an earth-bound spirit...that's where you come in."

"Makes sense...since I'm the ONLY soul remaining here on earth after The Other Side collapsed." Damon stated the obvious. "What do I have to do?"

"You'll serve as a 'gateway' for spirit magic to pass through as it exits the vessel from which it is contained," Bonnie explained to him.

Damon thought deeply about what Bonnie has said. "When you said to 'reschedule' my plans...you meant 'cancel' them, didn't you?"

I'm sorry, Damon. I'm so sorry," Bonnie apologized profusely. "But this ritual has never been done before."

"Right..." Damon muttered softly. "Any idea what happens to the 'gateway' after the ritual is done and spirit magic is released?"

"I-I don't know..." Bonnie admitted.

"Take a wild guess," Damon insisted.

"My guess is that the gateway spirit gets to crossover to the afterlife," Bonnie theorized.

"And hypothetically...will that said 'gateway spirit' find peace?" Damon pressed.

"I don't know-" Bonnie confessed.

"Does the 'gateway' get to refuse the 'crossing over' part of the evening?" Damon demanded, his voice raised.

"I don't know-" Bonnie disclosed.

"Then find out!" Damon growled. "Because if I'm expected to do this, then I'm going to need some goddamn answers!" He stood up straight and began pacing the room.

It was then that they heard Lirio's chanting as it got louder, signaling the the boundary spell was coming undone.

"Merabas Hic Libatal, Confremun Signas. Omus Quisa Tentum Exalis, Merabas Hic Libatal Confremun Signas. Omus Quisa Tentum Exalis..." Lirio chanted repeatedly, until the invisible glass wall was shattered.

Elena immediately ran towards Damon, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him close. "Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.

"Yeah...I'm fine," Damon replied, his left hand wrapping around her waist, while the other gently massaged her scalp. "I'm okay," he tried to reassure her, before planting a soft kiss on her right temple.

Lirio cleared her throat, reminding them that she was still in the room. "That was some pretty heated conversation that you were having...with my cat."

"Your cat?" Damon repeated, turning his attention back to Bonnie.

"Don't tell them," Bonnie pleaded. "They can't know yet."

"Lua," Lirio informed him. "That's her name."

"Lua..." Damon faced the young witch. "Yeah...she told me that she's your 'familiar'."

"Oh my God! I have a familiar!" Lirio exclaimed. "Wait...how come you can talk to her?"

"Just lucky, I guess," Damon replied.

Elena gently caressed his face. "Did she tell you anything about how you got back? Because Lirio was right...I couldn't hear it, but that was some intense conversation that you two had."

"Yeah...about that," Damon muttered softly. "She told me that my spirit is tethered to yours. Basically, you pulled me back from the dead...and I've been feeding off from your energy. Something like that." He couldn't bear to continue, so he started to pull away.

"Spirit tether..." Lirio repeated, as she began to flip through the pages of her grimoire. "Yep...how did I miss this? Lua's right. Basically, the only thing that's been keeping Damon strong is you, Elena."

Elena noticed Damon's agitation. She gently grabbed both of his hands, and placed them on her cheeks. "Damon, look at me. You're NOT hurting me, you hear me? I'm fine. We're fine," she assured him.

Damon refused to meet her gaze. He turned his attention back to Lirio. "I'll let you explain all this to her," he told the young witch, as he slowly pulled away from Elena's embrace. "I need some air," he said, before he stepped out to the balcony.

"Huh...an undead dead vampire needing air?" Lirio wondered. "Yeah...that's not weird at all."She continued to read the grimoire, while Elena worriedly followed Damon with her eyes.

* * *

Lua...Bonnie...was right behind him when Damon went outside the balcony. He leaned into the wall and stared into blank space, thinking over everything that he had just learned minutes ago.

"Quit staring at me," Damon said gruffly.

"If there was any other way, Damon-" Bonnie reasoned with him.

"Just...shut up," Damon told her, glaring at the cat who just innocently stared back at him. "I don't want to leave her again, Bonnie..." he whispered.

"I know, Damon. I know," Bonnie nodded in understanding.

Together, they remained there in silence, with Bonnie staying by his side, but leaving him to his thoughts.

After a while, Damon finally spoke. "You mentioned earlier that two spirits that are tethered to one another can't exist without their mate," he said softly.

"Yes, it's true in most cases," Bonnie replied. "But there's a good chance that it doesn't apply to you and Elena."

"But you're not a hundred percent sure about that either, are you?" Damon asked her.

"No, I'm not," Bonnie admitted. "You have to understand, spirit tethers, especially between two vampires, are very rare occurrences."

Damon sighed and pressed the heel of his palm into his eyes. Finally, he focused his attention back to Bonnie. "I'll do it," he told her. "On one condition...if you can promise me that Elena will be fine when this is all over...that no harm will come to her when I'm gone. I'll be your sacrifice."

Bonnie was about to respond, when Elena stepped outside of Lirio's room, and joined Damon at the balcony. Bonnie realized the the two needed some time alone. He took one last look at Damon, before leaving them in peace.

"Hey," Elena whispered, wrapping her arms around Damon's torso, pressing her cheek between his shoulder blades.

"Hey back..." Damon replied softly, lacing his fingers with hers.

"So...Lirio and I talked," Elena told him. "She said that according to the grimoire, our spirit tether can only harm me if I were human...which I'm not," she pointed out. "Which means that as long as I regularly maintain the daily recommended blood diet, I should be alright. I told you, we're fine."

Damon turned around to face her, sadness still visible in his eyes. He pressed his lips gently on her palms, as he stared at her beautiful face. He brushed stray strands of hair away from her cheek, tucking them behind her ear. Pinching her chin with his fingers, he tilted her head up, her mouth soon meeting his. The kiss started as slow and gentle, until it became urgent...passionate...loving...their tongues melding with each other, as if performing a little dance.

"What was that for?" Elena asked breathlessly after Damon finally pulled away.

Damon smiled sadly...the pain still lingering in his eyes. "Whatever happens, I want you to know that I love you," he professed, before wrapping Elena into another tight embrace. "If you believe nothing else in this world, believe that."

* * *

**~END OF CHAPTER THIRTEEN~**

* * *

**A/N** :

*Well...last episode was excruciating to watch. I actually do have a character named Malachi set to appear in a future chapter. Debating now whether or not to change the name.

*How many pop culture references did you catch in this chapter?

*So...any theories on what's going to happen to Damon?

*Again, apologies for the slow update. Hopefully, you enjoyed reading this chapter. Please review, because your words of encouragement always inspire me to write more. Thank you!


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